Beyond the Point of No Return
by The-Song-Project
Summary: Just a quick piece I decided to write, a bit of Sylvanas/Jaina inspired by a few valentines I've been sent based on that couple. Sylvanas captures Jaina and is planning to keep her as a personal plaything, sort of an AU setting, title based on Phantom.
1. Into Darkness Deep As Hell

Sylvanas watched through an enchanted mirror as Jaina Proudmoore approached her city. Sylvanas had called her here under the guise of discussing a treaty and the lovely mage seemed to have taken the bait. The image in the mirror focused in on Jaina's beautiful pale face, that golden hair…hair Sylvanas had had in life…and those hauntingly beautiful blue eyes.

There was no treaty; the Horde was uninterested since Thrall had left Garrosh in charge. Sylvanas had other plans for Jaina. She had called her here for a different purpose. Ever since Arthas had finally died, Sylvanas had been without purpose and still had been enraged that she personally had not played a direct role in his demise. In her slowly encroaching madness, she'd decided to exact her revenge on the woman he had loved. A woman she herself desired.

Sylvanas had never had much of an interest in letting her life be dominated by some male. When she had been alive she'd had many suitors and turned them all down in favor of life at the top of her profession of choice. As ranger general, she'd started to see herself as a hero and sometimes for a bit of absurdity to amuse her, would imagine herself as the type to rescue damsels or fall in love with pretty girls. Back then it was merely an amusing pastime to think of these things, she's never REALLY been more than mildly attracted to another woman.

However, Jaina ignited something in Sylvanas. Hatred, envy, lust…Hatred for her weakness in still loving Arthas after what he had done, still believing there might have been good in him. Envy of her life, her beauty, her allure, Sylvanas had once had all of that, once she'd been beautiful and flawless. The lust was the strangest part. Normally someone Sylvanas hated or envied would be marked for immediate destruction, but not Jaina. Sylvanas wanted more than that. She wanted the mage writhing and moaning beneath her, begging for her, a final chance to spit in Arthas' face, though he was dead. If she couldn't be the one to kill him, she'd be the one to defile his pretty former love and make her admit Sylvanas was better than Arthas was.

But now it was time. When she arrived in the elevator down into Undercity, Sylvanas froze the controls on the elevator and filled it with a sleeping toxin. Before Jaina knew what was happening, she collapsed unconscious, her beautiful form crumpling to the ground like a dove hit with an arrow. The minute Sylvanas was certain Lady Proudmoore was thoroughly unconscious, she approached the elevator, let it move again and stepped delicately in, picking Jaina up in her arms like a parody of a groom carrying his bride to their honeymoon suite.

That idea did occur to Sylvanas as she brushed a lock of stray golden hair out of Jaina's pretty face. The idea was ludicrous, but quite amusing and as she thought so, she even leaned down and gave Jaina a soft kiss on the lips as she carried her. "I know what they all see in you, my dear, you are beautiful." She said softly with a smirk.

Finally, she arrived back at her chambers, placing Jaina on a warm, soft bed. She left the room and shut the door, locking it tightly and walking towards her throne room to see what that oaf Hellscream had for her to deal with today. She would play with her new toy later, but that stupid sack of shit couldn't know about the pretty little present Sylvanas had gotten herself, Hellscream would want the girl all to himself, or worse he'd kill her.

Meanwhile, Jaina was just waking up. She found herself unable to move, though. She was not bound, but she was smart enough to know there was a spell binding her in place and also locking her own magic, so struggling would be absolutely useless. She frowned, realizing all that she could do was wait. She at least knew that she must have been in Undercity as the walls were decrepit stone dripping with slime, the old sewers and dungeons from what she remember of her childhood spent occasionally visiting Arthas there. How fitting, then, that she should be a prisoner here, though clearly the one who imprisoned her considered this room to be more luxurious than a prison cell.

After what felt like hours, the door finally opened and in stepped Lady Windrunner. "Greetings, sweet one…Hmm…For all the implications of that word, it is bitter upon my lips…Perhaps yours will not be." She leaned down to kiss Jaina's soft lips again. "You're beautiful." She ran her hands down Jaina's arms. "I can see why he loved you….and now….now he's gone…" She smirked coldly. "Who else wants you? Thrall doesn't…I know a prize like you will not settle for a buffoon like Varian…"

"I…" Jaina looked up at her, seeming to struggle for words. "Is this why you called me here? To drug me and try to….try to…" She shook her head. "Y…You must be mad…I came here to speak to you of a peace treaty, not to be…to be…Whatever this is, because it certainly isn't a courtship…it's…it's insanity!"

"Of course it isn't courtship. Whores aren't normally courted, they are bought." Sylvanas replied with a nasty look upon her face.

"A…A whore?" Jaina's eyes widened. "You…you think I'm…." She shook her head. "That isn't true…"

"Isn't it?" Sylvanas shook her head. "I hardly believe that."

Jaina's eyes narrowed. "Why? It's true, I'm not."

"How many leaders have you fucked?" Sylvanas laughed hollowly. "Oh, I know, all in the name of peace, you're at least a well-intentioned whore…but it doesn't change what you are." She grabbed a handful of Jaina's long golden hair, yanking her into a sitting position and forcing another kiss on her lips. "And worse of all, you would have taken Arthas back after all he did to the world, to me…just because you wanted him. You'd forgive every atrocity he committed just so you could share his bed again, admit it." She bit Jaina's lip roughly, gripping her shoulders and digging her nails in. "Filthy slut."

Jaina yelped in pain, her lip and her shoulders now bleeding as she looked up at Sylvanas. Her magic was still dampened and her body locked by some spell or toxin, she wasn't sure which, so she had no way to fight back. All she could do was wince and squeal from the pain.

"Oh, now come my lady, do not close your eyes, they're the loveliest thing about you…I could stare into them for an eternity…" Sylvanas smiled darkly, gazing into Jaina's wide, frightened blue eyes. "They tell me the truth. The rest of your face utterly stoic in this moment, your eyes show me you're just a frightened child….But you needn't be afraid, you're mine, and I keep my possessions in good condition."


	2. Pity Comes Too Late

Over the next few days, Jaina was rather relieved that Sylvanas' attentions didn't become more uncomfortable than they'd been the first day. Mostly, Sylvanas would enter the room, stroke Jaina's long blonde hair and speak of her destroyed life.

"Before I was slaughtered by your lover, I had such beautiful hair and eyes, just like yours. That same fair skin too. Life is so bitterly unfair sometimes…But then, I think you know this now. If life was fair, you'd be a beautiful queen with a king for a husband and fair haired children laughing and playing in the halls of a castle or perhaps living somewhere safe in a golden era of peace with an orcish lover." She smirked. "But no, instead you are left alone with no one listening to your pleas for peace and reason. I can't complain personally, death is a market in which I have great stock, but at the same time, also if life were fair, I'd be…." She looked intently at Jaina for a split second, not speaking. If she still breathed, Sylvanas' breath would have caught in her throat. "Well…" She shook her head. "I'd be alive and well…with my sisters." She clutched at the pendant around her neck till it cut into her hand; it had been a gift from Alleria.

Jaina felt sad for Sylvanas in some ways, but it was very grating to hear Sylvanas doing what was essentially both mocking and whining. "I'm not displeased with my life, though." Jaina replied calmly.

"Is that so?" Sylvanas sneered. "I would think you'd have higher ambitions than being passed back and forth like a cheap whore in Booty Bay and then tossed aside like bones picked clean by vultures."

"Is that what you think? You really think that being wanted or loved is what matters most to me?" Jaina shook her head in disbelief, almost laughing. "I'd like to think I've accomplished more in my life than being a love interest or a great beauty. You may not have noticed wallowing in your self-pity, but you and I are both powerful and respected leaders. Our people look to us for guidance and many would seek our advice or our help in all matters. But then maybe you hadn't noticed as you seem to be far too busy trying to convince yourself you were dealt a bad hand in life." She paused a moment, a bit of a smile playing upon her soft pink lips. "But I couldn't have called your bluff so easily if you didn't use what happened to you as a crutch. Your tough front is the easiest thing in the world to see through because the point your hate stems from is so evident. Fear."

Sylvanas' eyes widened and she backhanded Jaina across the face, sending her sprawling across the bed. "You little bitch! Don't pretend you know what I've been through, don't you dare even DREAM that any minor suffering you've endured could compare to mine!" Angry tears welled in the banshee queen's red eyes. She raised her hand to slap Jaina again but looking at her, found she could not. Jaina calmly accepted the slap, she didn't cry or beg for mercy or even flinch and still she looked calmly up at Sylvanas with those lovely blue eyes.

"Are you through?" Jaina asked quietly. A bruise was starting on her cheek but she hardly seemed to care. She said no more, just looked up at Sylvanas almost like a mother patiently waiting for her child's temper tantrum to conclude. Thoroughly unimpressed.

Sylvanas could no longer blush due to her lack of blood flow, but she was clearly humiliated by Jaina's lack of fear. Most would cower and beg when Sylvanas became angry and violent, but this human girl did nothing. She wasn't impressed, she wasn't frightened and she wasn't reduced to tears.

"Now, if you ever want this self-inflicted torment, and it is at this point self-inflicted, to end, then you'll have to learn to truly make the best of a bad situation. You're undead, yes, but consider what you've done for others of your kind! You could be a hero, a shining example of determination and refusal to give up no matter what; however you've decided to make a villain of yourself. You will not like what I'm about to say, but you need to hear it:" Jaina paused a moment, looking Sylvanas directly in the eyes. "You're becoming The Lich King." She finished bluntly.

"I will never be him!" Sylvanas snapped.

"Won't you, though? You're doing exactly what he did. Look at yourself, Sylvanas, raising your fallen enemies as undead? What's next? Will you control their minds? Shackle them to you for an eternity of torment? Why not complete the package and build monstrous creatures from the flesh of women and children then move your operation to Northrend." Jaina's expression was calm and stoic, but there was a coldness in her voice that clearly said she was speaking her mind for Sylvanas' own good no matter how hurtful her words may be.

"Y….You will regret what you've said, whore." Sylvanas replied, grabbing a handful of Jaina's golden hair and pulling her close before tossing her away and storming off. Her words, though, still buzzed in Sylvanas' head like the deceptively calm sound of waves lapping at the shores of a lake or a sea. "Pitiful little bitch. She couldn't POSSIBLY understand." Sylvanas shook her head, slamming her fist into a wall as she returned to her throne room, slumping into the freezing stone chair. For the first time, the cold bothered her and she leapt up. It was not the sensation, her nerve endings were dead, but the knowledge that it was cold bothered her for some reason. As she looked at it, the image flashed to an image of Arthas sitting on the frozen throne, clad in that dread armor surveying his surroundings, but as she looked closer at the haunting image, she realized the form in the armor was far slighter and the breast plate was designed for a woman. From under the helm spilled blonde hair, not white. Hair she recognized. Sylvanas frowned and reached up to touch her dark blonde locks, gasping in fright when the figure on the throne did the same. "No….It isn't true! It can't be!" She staggered backwards, falling to the ground, eyes widening in horror.

"Dark Lady, does something ail you?" A voice broke through, snapping her out of it. Slowly, Sylvanas realized she was on the floor before her own throne, staring in abject terror. Quickly, she shook off the feeling and stood up.

"Back to your duties." She said coldly to the death guard. The woman nodded solemnly and saluted as Sylvanas returned to her throne, a nagging worry tugging at the back of her mind.


	3. Til I Hear You Sing

_A/N: I don't normally do authors notes on stories I think are going well, but I know song fics and copyrighted lyrics aren't allowed, also Azeroth's music probably doesn't include Sarah Brightman, Emilie Autumn, Voltaire or anyone else I like, so I've written my own little verse which is entirely by me for this chapter. Don't complain, it was this or Always by Erasure. Mine may suck, but it makes more sense in context. Oh, Lament of the Highborne is obviously not mine, though. That's © Blizzard Entertainment._

Sylvanas wasn't truly even sure why she was keeping her captive here anymore. She couldn't remember what her plan was. Had she intended to kill Jaina? To interrogate her? She didn't recall, yet she could not just let her go, Jaina knew too much and if she ever told Varian, he'd send his entire army to burn Sylvanas' city to the ground. She had to figure out a way to make the best of Jaina being here and also clear her head.

"Sing for me." Sylvanas said bluntly one evening as she sat by the bed she'd kept Jaina in for the past few weeks.

"What?" Jaina looked honestly confused by the request.

"Sing for me." Sylvanas repeated. "You're not stupid; you know how to do that."

"Yes, but why?" Jaina replied, peering searchingly up at the dark ranger.

"Are you or are you not my captive?" Sylvanas snapped.

"I see your point." Jaina inclined her head, deciding to drop the issue and just do as she was told. "Do you have a request?"

"You're stalling." Sylvanas glared. "Sing."

"_Though the sky is dark_

_And the night is long_

_Don't despair, my love_

_I'll return, I swear_

_By this song_

_I shall come back to you_

_Like the golden sun_

_In the morning sky…" _ Jaina finished singing, blushing a bit as though not sure her voice was even close to passable.

Sylvanas was smiling distantly. "That was beautiful, thank you."

"What?" Jaina looked shocked to hear the Banshee Queen admit this.

"Your voice, it's lovely and calming." Sylvanas explained. "Did you take lessons?"

"Well, when I was little…I was a noble's daughter…" She replied, looking away a bit awkwardly. She'd never even sung for Arthas or Thrall. She'd never considered she may be good at it. But why did she actually do it for Sylvanas? Could she not have just refused and accepted punishment? "Since I sang for you, will you sing for me?"

Sylvanas looked taken aback and was about to chastise Jaina for making demands of her captor, but it wasn't really a demand, only a request and Sylvanas supposed there was no harm in it. She breathed deeply and began to sing the song her people had always sung. "_Anar'alah, Anar'alah belore_

_Sin'dorei_

_Shindu fallah na_

_Sin'dorei_

_Anar'alah_

_Shindu Sin'dorei_

_Shindu fallah na_"

"That was amazing." Jaina breathed softly. "Lament of the Highborne, am I correct?" She asked, looking up at Sylvanas in astonishment at the beautiful voice, somehow produced by dead vocal chords.

"Very good, Jaina. But then I knew you'd know that. Always have your nose in a book, don't you?" Sylvanas gave a surprisingly genuine smile. "You know, I was in the company of the royal family in Quel'thalas quite a lot before our home was destroyed…I was the ranger general, after all. Kaelthas spoke quite fondly of you."

"Oh…" Jaina bowed her head, looking away. She still felt awful for what had happened to Kael. "Yes….w…we were friends…." She managed.

Sylvanas scoffed, gripping Jaina's chin and tilting her head up towards her. "None of what happened was your fault and you know it. Don't wallow in self-righteous self-deprecation, it is unbecoming. You told me to look at the good I've done for my people, it's time you did as well."

Jaina couldn't help but smile a bit. "I could say the same for you, Lady Windrunner."

"No more formalities. Call me by my name." Sylvanas shook her head, looking intently into Jaina's bright blue eyes.

"Alright, Sylvanas." Jaina nodded, looking right back up into Sylvanas' eyes.

"You know, I think somewhere deep in my memory, you remind me of someone…"Sylvanas admitted, tilting Jaina's head slightly to examine her beautiful features.

"Oh?" Jaina asked. "May I ask who?"

Sylvanas' expression went dark again and she glared, shoving the mage away from her. "No, you may not. I'll send food later tonight, if you value your life, don't make a sound. Hellscream is visiting today to check that I'm not disobeying his authority." Sylvanas snarled, standing abruptly and storming off towards the door, slamming it shut.

Surprisingly, the outburst did not confuse Jaina. The memory she evoked in Sylvanas must have been a painful one. Since she had no apparent way to escape with her magic dampened, Jaina decided to see if she could coax the information out of Sylvanas. Perhaps it wasn't too late to save her and by extension all of Azeroth from her downward spiral of madness and hate. She resolved to do whatever she could to win Sylvanas' trust and help her break free of these self-imposed chains.


	4. Notes

Mikah Valiantheart had been a paladin of the Alliance long enough to know when delivering a message could be dangerous. Now was one of those times as he entered Stormwind Keep to deliver a message from Theramore. He ran a gauntlet-clad hand through his long wheat coloured hair and heaved a deep sigh, blue eyes closed gently. As he approached the throne room, he noticed the prince approaching.

"Anduin, old friend." Mikah stopped the prince, grabbing his shoulder gently. "How's your father's mood today? Please tell me it's favorable."

"Be ready to duck and cover if your news is anything less than the death of Garrosh Hellscream." Anduin replied, patting Mikah on the back sympathetically.

"Say a prayer at my funeral, will you?" Mikah grimaced, stepping back and heading towards the doorway again.

"Will do, my friend, though I highly doubt a simple prayer is enough to save your soul." Anduin nodded with a little grin, heading off to the library.

"Light bless you." Mikah rolled his eyes teasingly before entering the throne room and respectfully walking towards Varian's throne, kneeling before it. "Captain Mikah Valiantheart, son of Galahad Valiantheart and Elhonna Lightsong, reporting."

"Mikah, good to see you again." Varian inclined his head, evidently trying to be more good natured than he honestly felt in this moment as Mikah was a respected paladin and also a close friend of Anduin. "Good news, I trust?"

"Well….Actually, sir…." The half-elf chewed his lip nervously fumbling for the proper way to word this without causing a miniature sundering right then and there. "Well….Lady Proudmoore has…." He breathed deeply. "She has not returned from her peace negotiations."

"What! With who! She said nothing of this!" Varian's eyes widened. Everything about this news told him Jaina had been led into a trap and was being held captive or worse by the monstrous Horde. Varian knew that Jaina was smart and a very talented and powerful sorceress, but much too trusting for her own good. Too trusting and too willing to make peace with hated enemies of the Alliance.

"She told me she was going to go to a peace talk and told me nothing more except to give you this if she failed to return within a week…I've been putting it off as I thought….well…perhaps she'd just made good progress since there was no ransom note….but it's gotten worrisome." Mikah continued softly, wincing at Varian's raised voice.

Varian took the note, using every ounce of self-control not to show his anger towards Mikah that the young man had waited so long to bring something so apparently important to his attention. Especially since Mikah ought to have known how Varian cared for Jaina and was concerned about her.

After calming himself as much as possible, Varian nodded crisply. "You are dismissed, Captain Valiantheart, I will see to the contents of this letter privately and inform you of any details Lady Proudmoore may have wished you to know."

Mikah bowed swiftly and bolted from the room, smacking straight into Anduin Wrynn on his way back from the library. Anduin was sent sprawling by the force of the plate armor clad half-elf, though Mikah was not much larger than he under the armor.

"Ow! Dammit, Mikah!" Anduin glared at his friend.

"Ah-ah-ah, watch your language, dress boy, I don't think our beloved holy light would appreciate such crude talk." Mikah feigned a holier-than-though attitude, pressing his palms together in mock prayer.

"Oh, far be it from me to stain the delicate ears of such a noble paladin with foul language." Anduin grumbled, getting to his feet. "Although I think sloth, lechery and binge drinking are far more frowned upon, my friend." His expression softened when Mikah extended a hand to help him up, taking his friend's hand and pulling himself up. "So, how'd it go?"

"I think if looks could kill, your dad would've dropped me faster than Deathwing eating a dwarf." Mikah replied flatly.

"Well, what did you tell him that set him off so much?" Anduin asked, looking surprised. Certainly Varian's mood wasn't good today, but usually he was not one to shoot a messenger, especially his son's friend.

"Er…I don't know if I should tell you…." Mikah scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"The Horde attacked Theramore?" Anduin guessed as Mikah was generally Theramore's emissary when Lady Proudmoore was too busy.

"Er…not quite." Mikah bit his lip, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, what then?" Anduin placed a hand on Mikah's shoulder. "It can't be too horrible or Jaina would have come here herself, right?"

"She's missing." Mikah said quickly.

"What?" Anduin's blue eyes widened and a look of concern crossed his handsome face. "Do you know where she is?"

Mikah looked at Anduin in disbelief. "Yeah, I know exactly where she is, that's why I came here to tell your father she's missing! What kind of a stupid question is that!" Mikah snapped. "All I know is if she doesn't come back, your dad is going to kill me and worst of all, I'll be all alone again! She's the only person who helped me along when my parents died!"

"Calm down, Mikah, it's okay. Jaina's not a weak woman, she can handle herself, I'd imagine she'll have escaped before my father even sends agents to go find her." Anduin rubbed Mikah's back sympathetically. "Now come on, I'm sure everything will be fine, she knows how to take care of herself. Why don't we go to the tavern in the Mage Quarter, I'll bet pretty students would cheer you right up. Just don't pull the little stunt you did last time."

Mikah managed a smile at the memory. "Oh, come on, you needed it and that gnome girl was obviously interested, you gave her an oil leak, An!" Mikah chuckled. "Get it? Cause she was an engineer?"

Anduin grimaced at the memory. "I had to pay her twenty gold to leave me alone after you implied to her that I, as you put it, wanted to 'show her my arclight spanner'."

"Not like you have to be celibate, and she was cute too! I still can't believe you turned her down." Mikah seemed to be taking his mind off of his worries now as he and the prince left the keep and headed for the Mage Quarter.

Meanwhile, Varian looked over the note Captain Valiantheart had given him. It was from Jaina and the contents of the note left Varian with a sick sense of foreboding in his stomach.

_Dear Varian,_

_If you're reading this, then it's been at least a month since I left Theramore for this meeting. Lady Windrunner seemed very intent upon reaching a truce and I know the people of Gilneas would be greatly benefited by a ceasefire between the undead forces and The Alliance. I think that this is an important opportunity and while I know it is a great risk for me to go alone; I cannot risk telling you what I was doing until now. However, if you're reading this, then I suppose anything I thought you might assume may have been correct. I'm sorry._

_-Jaina_

Varian couldn't believe it. Jaina had willingly endangered herself, most likely walked directly into a trap and all because she was overly trusting of the Horde and viewed him as a bullheaded fool who didn't think before acting. Now, though, Varian could see that Jaina had also probably not considered the cost of her actions before going right ahead with them. Still, 'I told you so's and 'You see?'s were the last thing on his mind right now, in all likelihood, she needed him now more than ever and he would not let her suffer merely to prove a point. Calling a guard to him, he ordered the man to go and fetch Matthias Shaw. He had need of SI:7's particular brand of skills, it may have already been too late.


	5. You Are Not Alone

Sylvanas had, over the course of the time Jaina had been there; forgotten why she'd even brought her here. So many things had slipped from Sylvanas' mind as life had slipped from her body what seemed like so long ago. So many reasons crossed her mind. Perhaps a ransom? Or did she intend to kill her? She might have been a gift for Garrosh, but Sylvanas found that highly unlikely as she wanted to see that pig drown in his own blood. Lady Proudmoore was far too intelligent and valuable to be handed over to that lummox. And beautiful. Sylvanas tensed when that last phrase entered her mind and she quickly shook it off. But she was, wasn't she? Such coloration as Sylvanas had had in life, the fair skin, golden hair, bright blue eyes. But more than that, her spirit. All the time Jaina had been here, Sylvanas had been suffering violent mood swings to the point where some days they would merely talk and other days, the things Sylvanas had done to her were unspeakable torture and yet she refused to break, it was work even to make her scream and she never begged or divulged her faction's secrets, even when Sylvanas was sure anyone else was praying for death.

Walking into the room, Sylvanas noted with satisfaction rather than chagrin, that Jaina still refused to cower even knowing it was a distinct possibility today would be one of the days Sylvanas seemed almost mad with rage and hate.

"Good morning, Lady Windrunner." Jaina inclined her head politely. That was strange. Jaina should have been a wreck, yet her clothing was pristine and she was uninjured. What was going on?

"You…." Sylvanas blinked, expecting once her vision cleared to see Jaina almost unable to move, her skirt bloodied and tattered, her chest piece half ripped away and her beautiful face bruised. But no, still she was perfectly alright. "What's going on here?"

Jaina raised an eyebrow. "Well, as far as I know, I awakened maybe twenty minutes ago, brushed my hair, sat back down on the bed, then the door opened and you walked in….Are you feeling well?" She stated what was painfully obvious as though Sylvanas were a small child.

"Your clothes…your skin…" Sylvanas shook her head. "Why are they intact? Why aren't you cowering? Yesterday, I…."

"Yesterday, you came in here and we spoke again about Arthas' effect on both of our lives even in death. I became a bit emotional and you told me he didn't deserve me anyway. I replied that he used to be a good person and then you told me that if he was weak willed enough to chase after something like Frostmourne and foolish enough not to listen to someone as wise and intelligent as me, then he never deserved me to begin with. "Jaina recounted and for some reason, Sylvanas was keenly aware that Jaina was being entirely truthful. The evidence didn't lie, after all, Jaina was right here, healthy, pristine and unviolated. "Sylvanas, I'm worried for you." She broke the banshee queen's concentration. "This isn't the first time this has happened, I think with Arthas' death, you've lost the purpose you saw for yourself…it's driving you mad."

Sylvanas looked at Jaina and so many emotions crossed her face at once. Fear, anger, pain and a strange feeling of… something she had not felt in a long time, what was the word? Gratitude. Jaina was honestly worried for her and that fact tugged at Sylvanas' unbeating, cold heart like the first warm day of spring dissolving the unforgiving frost of winter. "It was me…" She said softly.

"What?" Jaina asked, confused.

"The girl whom you remind me of with your life, your determination to do what is right, to protect your people…It was me, you remind me of myself when I was alive…" It became clear to Sylvanas now and she found herself on her knees, head buried against the soft fabric of Jaina's skirt, crying bitterly. All the painful torture and acts of violation and hate she believed she'd inflicted on Jaina...Had they been mere manifestations of what her hate and rage had been doing to the small bit of the brave and honorable ranger general she'd once been? Was Jaina right? Was this really the final stage of Sylvanas transforming into the same monster Arthas had become? Killing off the remaining bit of good still lingering, a dying ember deep inside of her.

She felt as though she were alone in her misery until a gentle hand made itself known, stroking her now white hair, the color had changed drastically over the time she'd had Jaina imprisoned here, it seemed the awakening of what was truly happening had drained the very color from Sylvanas' form, her skin almost white and her hair entirely white now.

"Then I suppose I should do what that girl would have done." Jaina's voice reached Sylvanas' ears, so warm and alive, comforting. "I'll give strength to one who needs it, and I will protect her and give her the will to save herself." Jaina carefully moved so she was kneeling in front of Sylvanas, she gently slid her arms around her shoulders, holding her close and in that moment, the banshee queen's sensitive elvish ears caught the faintest hint of a song in Jaina's lovely voice, a song that had always comforted Sylvanas and given her strength.

"Anar'alah, Anar'alah,

Belore...

Sin'dorei…

Shindu, fallah nah…

Sin'dorei…"

Sylvanas felt a weak but grateful smile come to her lips now and she pulled back slightly, looking into Jaina's beautiful bright blue eyes. Slowly the banshee queen's lips parted and she joined in the song.

"Anar'alah

Shindu Sin'dorei

Shindu fallah na

Sin'dorei"

The world around them would dissolve for but a moment. It was clear to Jaina that Sylvanas needed her and as long as that was the case, she would not leave. Maybe this was one wrong she could make right. One horrible wrong caused by her former lover that she finally had the chance to correct and in doing so, save not only Sylvanas, but countless others from the horrible prospect of another scourge. She would not leave Sylvanas' side. The banshee queen had clawed and struggled for so long to be strong and unbroken, now it was time someone was strong for her, told her everything would be alright and nothing would harm her.

"Please don't leave me." Sylvanas whispered softly, holding Jaina close to her, a hint of desperation and longing in those sorrowful red eyes. "I…I will not harm you, just please…lay beside me tonight…I can't be alone."

Jaina nodded. "I won't leave you, I promise." She gently pressed her warm, soft hand to Sylvanas' face, wiping away a tear with her thumb. "I won't let you fall." She added such warmth, kindness and determination in those bright eyes.

Sylvanas couldn't help but feel a surge of unfamiliar feelings for the girl before her in this moment. She was like a goddess in mortal form, for no one else would ever bother to comfort someone who imprisoned them and though she had not truly tortured Jaina; Sylvanas had certainly beaten her a few times out of fury and blind rage. She knew of no person who would care at all about someone who did those things to them. Except, apparently, for Lady Proudmoore. Sylvanas knew in that moment that there were things she could do to keep Jaina safe and she promised silently to herself that she would. No one, be it Hellscream or Deathwing himself would lay a hand on this girl without incurring the wrath of the Forsaken.


	6. I Felt No Longer Scared

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I have a job now and am preparing for Otakon, so while my story is incomplete and maybe suffering a bit, my Jaina costume is a triumph. But anyway, sorry if this chapter's quality has suffered, I just wanted you all to know it is not abandoned and I'm really trying to revive it. Thanks for your patience and all the nice reviews. A few nice critiques, several compliments, I'm flattered and pleased._

Over the time that passed since her breakdown, Sylvanas' mind was healing. It was a slow process but with Jaina by her side, she slowly began to feel….real. Alive. Whole. She looked over at Jaina, who was currently reading, draped across an old chaise found in the ruins of the old castle of Lordaeron. Sylvanas privately imagined the beautiful woman must have behaved much the same when this kingdom belonged to the humans, smirking a bit when she thought of all the guards and servants who must have looked longingly upon that beautiful form as she sat and read obliviously, so absorbed in her quest for knowledge. However Sylvanas wasn't one whom Jaina would ignore, that became apparent when the blonde mage looked up and smiled warmly at The Banshee Queen, waving. Sylvanas managed an almost genuine smile and crisply waved back as she herself sat polishing her bow. "You know, Kaelthas absolutely raved about you when he would return to Quel'thalas for visits. I was always shocked a mere human could have such an effect on and elvish man. I'd always considered our women more beautiful than any human, but I see what he spoke of now."

Jaina closed her book. "I think he always admired my magical prowess more than my appearance. As I'm sure you're aware, love and longing can impair your judgment of the physical." A soft smile played upon her full lips.

Sylvanas froze for a second. If that was true, then could one so warm and alive have feelings for one long dead. She wanted to know. Wanted to be sure. She approached Jaina, who she was pleased to see did not draw back. Sylvanas, though, hesitated for a moment. Jaina responded by standing up and gently placing a hand on the fallen ranger's shoulder. Sylvanas was encouraged and feeling like her former decisive and powerful self, pulled the human girl into her arms and kissed her deeply on the lips.

Jaina seemed to start a bit, she hadn't been oblivious to what this was, but sharing an intimate moment with another woman was something she wasn't familiar with. Still, to say she was uncomfortable would be a lie as she quickly felt at home, deepening the kiss, arms sliding around Sylvanas' shoulders to pull her closer. Though her lips were cold and her skin was grey, Sylvanas felt so alive to Jaina, soft and perfect. Even the red glow of the other woman's eyes didn't bother her in the slightest. Sylvanas' hands slowly moved to unstrap Jaina's top, expertly removing it, Jaina noted with some satisfaction that unlike Thrall or Arthas who had both fumbled a bit, Sylvanas had it undone in one graceful motion.

Sylvanas for her part felt a rush of satisfaction when Jaina equally gracefully removed her top. As the garments fell away, the two moved towards the chaise Jaina had previously been sitting on, the book lying forgotten on the floor nearby as was the bow and quiver as Jaina paused only briefly after she and Sylvanas were settled together on the tattered furniture to snuff the candles with a quick spell before Sylvanas claimed her lips in another kiss, her cold pale body draped elegantly but dominantly over Jaina's warm, soft, living form.

Mikah knelt before the edifice in the Cathedral of Light, head bowed and hands clasped over his knee, an uncharacteristically chaste and prone position for his usually hedonistic and carefree manner. After all Jaina had done for him, it shook him to the core to know that she could be hurt or even dead.

"Why so glum, chum?" Came a female voice which oozed sarcasm and an unintentional disdain from behind him. When he turned to look, somewhat short blonde stood behind him. Standing about five feet tall, the girl's light green skin, small tusks and clear claws marked her as a half-orc. Her tabard was tattered, bloodstained and in the Theramore colors, her boots and gloves stood out being of orcish design and slightly too big for her. Likely stolen off a kill.

"Tari? What are you doing here? You were expelled from your training here." Mikah frowned.

"Give it a rest, ice head, like you're so devout and good, useless lech." The half-breed spat into the corner, wiping her mouth roughly on her gauntlet. "I know what's happened, someone's taken my mother."

"Nice of you to care after you ran off like a selfish little brat." Mikah snorted, stepping to his feet and turning to leave.

"Don't treat me like I'm shit, Mikah! You know I love my mother." Tari snarled, leaping at the paladin and clawing him roughly across the face. "I did what I had to do for her sake."

"If she could see you now, she would be ashamed. You're a murderer, Tari. Let your mother think you're dead, it'll save her the grief." Mikah said evenly, the stress obviously wearing on him.

"You and Anduin are looking for her. I know it, I want to help." Tari insisted, ignoring Mikah's accusations. "What I've done is immaterial. In this moment, I am a daughter who wants to see her mother safely home. Will you allow me to join you or do I have to go alone?"

Mikah laughed wryly. "I have no concern for you on your own, Tari Proudmoore, orcslayer. You've inherited too much of your grandfather, I'd say. But I know Anduin wouldn't want to leave a little girl alone behind enemy lines, so I have no choice I guess. Just do us all a favor and keep your misguided vengeance to yourself for at least as long as it takes to find your mother." The half-elf's voice held a note of dislike and severe distaste for the teen and her persistence.

"I've no doubt it is the orcs who have taken her, so my vengeance has become a means to an end, it would seem." Tari sneered, her voice cold and even.

"You don't know that, little girl. You'd better keep your mind on what our actual goal is." Mikah glared, grabbing Tari by the wrist with a stern expression.

"Take your hands off me!" She snapped, backhanding him with her free hand, hitting right across where she'd left a set of still bleeding scratches before, causing Mikah to hiss in pain and stumble back.

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm not that sort of man and even if I was, honey, you ain't my type." The paladin turned his back on her and walked towards the door.

Tari bared her tusks threateningly, but shook her head and followed him. It wasn't worth it. She needed him and Anduin to help her find her mother. She'd have to watch her step and control her temper. Besides, deep inside, though it pained her, she knew Mikah was right. Jaina would be ashamed. But Tari's revenge was all for her anyway, her mother just didn't realize. It had always been for her.


	7. Guide and Guardian

_A/N: Trying desperately to finish costumes for Otakon, working two jobs, dealing with puppy, haven't had a chance to update. Also, yes, I did draw influence from Beauty and the Beast as well as Phantom of the Opera for this._

"So, team, I have good news and I have bad news." Mikah Valiantheart stepped out of the tent he and Anduin shared with a plastered on awkward smile. Anduin and Tari, who were sitting by the fire, looked up at him. "Um…we're lost."

"Brilliant. What's the good news?" Tari sneered, folding her arms across her chest and propping her feet up on Mikah's backpack, which sat in front of her.

"Anduin's dad evidently still doesn't know he's missing." Mikah replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"That was never a problem. My father is over protective, but he knows I can take care of myself and I wouldn't go off alone, his entire focus is on rescuing Lady Proudmoore." Anduin explained.

"In other words, Mikah has no good news." Tari said flatly, rolling her eyes. "What a shock."

Mikah glared and got half way through a lunge forward before realizing beating up a girl, no matter how obnoxious she was, was no way to stay in the good graces of the holy light.

"Both of you need to calm down." Anduin said sternly but calmly, getting to his feet. "By the positioning of the stars, we're heading south from Stormwind, so if we keep going, we should eventually hit Booty Bay. We can hire a rogue or a hunter there; both are very good at tracking and can make sure we don't end up lost again." And with that, the priest yawned, stretched and headed for his tent.

"How did he know that? Is that a priest thing?" Mikah whispered in awe.

"No, it's a smart people thing, Mikah, you wouldn't get it." Tari smirked, also yawning and stretching as she got to her feet.

"Hmmph. Explains why you didn't figure it out." Mikah rolled his eyes.

"Play nicely, children, or I'll leave you here. Keep in mind, I wake up far earlier than either of you and I'm the one in control of the gold." Anduin's voice came from inside his tent.

"Ha! Children. I'm almost his age." Tari frowned.

"Tari, Tari, Tari, I was sure the governesses in Theramore taught numbers. See, you're sixteen. Anduin is 21. Sixteen is five numbers smaller than 21. So you're not almost his age. Know how I can tell you're sixteen? You were born a few months after Archimonde fell. That happened a whole sixteen years ago. I was born a year earlier, so I'm how many? Seventeen, that's right. Good for you! See? You're learning history and numbers, I'm so proud of you." Mikah grinned a huge, glowing fake grin as he spoke to Tari as though she were a toddler and clapped his hands mockingly.

"Oh? Well let me teach you some vocabulary, asshole. You." Tari pointed to Mikah. "Are, that's when something applies to you, dear, a fucking prick. Which means the same thing as the thing in your pants that's less than two inches." With that, Tari stormed into her tent.

Mikah raised an eyebrow. "That was a comeback?" He shrugged and headed into the tent he and Anduin were sharing, picking his way over to his own bedroll and flopping down. Suddenly, he opened his eyes. "Hey, hey Anduin. Anduin. Hey, Anduin…Are you awake? Anduin? AAAAAAANDUUUUUIIIIIIN?"

A slight groan from across the tent. "Well, now I am. What?"

"Why are we going to Booty Bay? The boats there go to Ratchet, you don't really think the orcs took Jaina, do you?" Mikah frowned.

"No, Mikah, I don't. But I certainly wouldn't count Hellscream out as a suspect. So no, I don't think the whole race conspired to take her, but one of them may know if Hellscream did, or at least have insight as to how to find out." Anduin explained. "Also, from Ratchet, if that theory is wrong, we can hire a ship or a zeppelin to take us to another suspect. I'd considered stopping in Westfall, but since both VanCleefs are deceased, the Defias has been like a headless chicken, they don't have the organization currently to orchestrate such a brazen attack."

"So, you have this whole thing planned out, then?" Mikah asked.

"Yes, now go to sleep, you're doing her absolutely no good by staying awake worrying." Anduin assured Mikah.

Jaina slowly opened her eyes, a sweet gasp of pleasure escaping her lips as she was awakened by a cold, tender caress between her thighs. "You don't sleep, my lady?" She asked, looking back at Sylvanas, sapphire meeting ruby yet again as their gazes met.

"I can, but I don't need to and it's a difficult task to fall asleep." Sylvanas explained. "Besides, I haven't had anything but nightmares since my soul was torn screaming from my broken body." The caresses stopped and the banshee queen looked empty, cold, numb.

Jaina took Sylvanas' cold, bow calloused hands between her own warm, soft hands. She gently moved a reassuring pulse of arcane energy through them, a sign that she was there and Sylvanas was not alone. "It'll get better. It's over, he's gone now and you're still here, stronger than ever. The ruler of an entire race that depends on you and sees you as a champion. And if that's not enough, I'm here and I care for you."

It took effort, but the soothing words, the warm pulses of energy and those hands, so warm and alive, reassured her in spite of the hate she'd felt for the living for so long. "I…I care for you as well. I may not be able to give you the peace and understanding you've always desired, but I can give you safety within my lands, I can protect you within enemy territory…." Sylvanas thought a moment. "And…" A smile played upon her lips. "I can give you a gift. Paltry and material though it may be, I think you'll find it an adequate token of my affections. Get dressed and come with me."

Jaina seemed puzzled, but got up and slowly pulled on some clean clothes. Sylvanas had provided rich purple robes, tattered as they were meant for undead mages, but Jaina didn't mind. They were only clothes. Once she was dressed, the banshee queen gently took her hand and led her out of the room. Deathguards and dark rangers saluted and undead commoners bowed as Sylvanas passed by. The orcish guards seemed suspicious and to be watching her every move, most more than a little surprised and perturbed to see Lady Jaina Proudmoore on the arm of the Dark Lady.

Their journey led them on twists and turns past the vile slime coursing the sewers, through the laboratories, mostly empty at the moment and finally into a basement area, enormous and dark. Sylvanas lit the candles which were placed all around the room revealing an enormous stash of books. Piled high, placed on shelves, open across desks long forgotten.

"T…These…"Jaina gasped, eyes widening. "Many of these books are from Dalaran's library….when….when the city fell; most of these books were counted among those destroyed." She was completely in awe of the wealth of knowledge and history surrounding her in this moment. Her heart skipping a beat. Jaina looked over at Sylvanas, completely in shock. "H…How did you?"

"When I had my free will and was able to free some of my sister banshees after Arthas weakened, we thought there may be some useful information in these tombs and so we gathered them and hid them until such a time we could have a base of our own. Then when we took over these ruins, we found the royal library. I daresay much of your childhood was spent in these two libraries. Now I only wish we could have collected from the Kul Tiras library as well." Sylvanas managed a small smile. Jaina was used to that at this point. Sylvanas never gave a full smile and didn't seem to laugh, but she was slowly starting to heal those deep emotional and mental scars from living in torment for so long.

"This is wonderful as it is." Jaina breathed, stepping further in, not knowing what to read first.

"I'm glad you find it an acceptable token." Sylvanas gently ran a hand through Jaina's golden hair, weaving it around her fingers, enjoying the way it shone in the candle light.


	8. Secret and Strange Angel

"Okay, so remind me again why we're here and not in a mercenary district looking for a rogue or hunter?" Anduin whispered to Mikah, seeming a bit annoyed at the half-elf's choice to enter a strip joint in search of one.

"Anduin, I am surprised at your lack of priestly charity, these poor girls need our help and if they're willing to give us a show for only the small price of admission, then I say we'd be shirking our duty to the light if we didn't tie as many pouches of gold to those tiny little panties as is humanly possible. Besides, Tari's enjoying herself….probably." Mikah grinned, nodded towards the half-orc beside him downing yet another cherry grog and looking quite confrontationally at every man near her as if daring one to mistake her for a stripper.

Anduin pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead and shook his head in exasperation. "Any excuse to perv on poor, unsuspecting women, right, Mikah?"

"No, see, it's actually quite brilliant because these ones suspect completely, they just expect a nice tip for their troubles and maybe they secretly harbor ambitions of going to bed with a prince, you know, rags to riches? All that fairy tale stuff? Don't you want to make their dreams come true, An?" Mikah chuckled.

"No, I'd really rather get our task here over with and find Lady Proudmoore before my father mounts a full assault on Orgrimmar out of misguided rage." Anduin explained through gritted teeth. "I-"

There was a sound of shattering glass and cheap china nearby and a strangled cry. When Anduin and Mikah looked over, Tari had some poor drunk orcish sailor face down on the bar with her claws digging into his neck.

"Hey, asshole, there are three things I am not." Tari snarled, still holding him down while grabbing his left arm. "One…"She said, snapping his wrist, resulting in a howl of pain. "I am NOT a whore. Two." She bent his elbow back with another sickening crack. "I am NOT short." Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared, mouth twisted into a cold sneer with her tusks bared. "And finally…" She growled, fully dislocating his shoulder to another pitiful noise of agony. "I am definitely, without a doubt, one hundred and ten percent, NOT A FUCKING ORC!"

Tari reached for the suffering orc's head now, her other hand still on his neck, positioning to snap it, but a pale human hand grabbed her wrist.

"That's ENOUGH, Tari." Anduin frowned, pulling her away. Mikah, meanwhile, approached the injured sailor.

"You know, I think your dignity is damaged worse than your arm, friend." Mikah said, good-natured but stern as he moved to heal the shattered and mangled limb, laying his hands gently on it, coursing the holy light through it. "See, this is also why you pick your targets wisely, the ugly ones tend to take offense more easily. Well, good as new." He patted the very confused sailor's shoulder and helped Anduin to drag Tari out of the building.

Once they were outside, Mikah beamed with false optimism. "Well that went well!" He chuckled sarcastically.

"Tari, why did you do that!" Anduin glared at her.

"Well, first and most importantly, he's an orc. Secondly, he said to me 'You're pretty short for an orc but awful pretty, let me buy you a drink.'" Tari sneered. "What a jerkass."

"Tari, the proper response in that scenario is to politely tell him 'no' and failing that, 'get lost' and if that fails, you splash your drink in his face, you don't go apeshit and try to kill him." Mikah rolled his eyes.

"Fuck that, fuck him and fuck both of you! I'll handle things how I want!" Tari snapped.

"Then you will walk back to Stormwind alone and no longer be welcome on our search for your mother. You will be letting her down and only causing yourself trouble. Consider this your final warning, Tari." Anduin's voice was even, surprisingly cold and completely serious.

Tari bit her lip and looked at the ground, stunned that she'd been called on something for once. She hadn't been scolded or corrected about anything since she'd lived back in Theramore. That kind of firm, for your own good type of discipline meant she was cared for. She recalled several years ago, a very vague memory, her mother and an incident involving some flowers...

"_Tari, from now on, you will wait for me before you leave the city. It's dangerous out there." Her mother's voice was filled with the sort of anger that only came after worry and panic subsided. "It could have been a lot worse than a crocolisk or a few murlocs. The black dragon flight makes one of its homes in this swamp and not every person who makes their home here is nice. You could have been hurt or worse!"_

"_I'm sorry, mommy…" Five year old Tari said softly. "Mikah bought some pretty flowers for his mommy's grave and he said the person he bought them from got them near the hermit's hut. I wanted to get you some." The little half orc sniffled, tears welling in her big blue eyes._

"_Well I'd rather have you safe and sound than a few silly flowers; you never need to bring me a gift anyway because I love you no matter what. And so does your father." Jaina smiled gently, picking Tari up and hugging the child close._

"_No he doesn't, or he'd be here." Tari frowned._

"You dick, you even got me in trouble back then." Tari glared daggers at Mikah, wiping a single tear from her eye before Anduin or Mikah could see.

"What?" Mikah raised an eyebrow, not privy to the half-orc's little flashback, Mikah assumed she was just a little crazy.

"Nothing." Tari frowned. "Let's move on, we still need a guide."

Jaina sat curled up in the disheveled library, reading a compendium of famous mages. Already she'd read up on Antonidas and Aegwynn both. She was not mentioned in this book, it was an old tomb, penned while she'd still been just a child. Still, that didn't bother her at all; it was somewhat disconcerting to read about one's self as others opinions could get in the way of fact. Also, it would be terrible dull just reading about one's own life having lived through it personally. Finishing the book, Jaina placed it down beside her in a pile of other books she'd recently finished. The next book was a history of the different orc clans. Reading about the Frostwolf clan sent a bit of sadness through Jaina's heart. Not for Thrall, though she had missed him greatly for a while, she held no grudge against him and did not cling to what she couldn't have. Her sadness was for Tari. Jaina hadn't seen her daughter since the girl had run off three, almost four years ago in a rage, a misguided rage at her father.

"Tari, wherever you are I hope you're safe and happy." She sighed as she looked at the illustration in the book, two orcish children play fighting. The girl even looked a little like Tari, although bigger than Tari had been as a child.

"Who is Tari?" Sylvanas voice came from the doorway as the banshee queen strode elegantly yet crisply into the room, as ever with the regal bearing of falcon or an eagle.

"Oh…Well, I never told you this, my lady, but I'm a mother." Jaina admitted with a sad little smile.

"I see, well, no need to ask who the father is." Sylvanas said, nodding towards the book in Jaina's hands. "Besides, I doubt that fool Varian could hold your interest long enough to produce a child. You have far too exquisite taste." A slight smirk at that remark.

Jaina managed a smile at that and a small laugh. "Be careful, Sylvanas, though it's better than self-pity, vanity is still a fatal flaw."

"Noted." The banshee queen nodded, sitting beside the golden haired archmage. "Anyway, let us speak of this if it's important to you. Tell me about your child."

"Well, her name is Tari and she'd be about sixteen years old by now, almost seventeen. She ran away a few years ago because of a disagreement over her father…She didn't understand why he wasn't an active part of her life…I think it hurt her seeing that all the human and elvish children either had two parents or the only reason one wasn't present in their life was that they'd died…She inherited her temperament from her maternal grandfather, obviously, because everything was very black and white to her, she always had trouble seeing a middle ground…Also, she has an intense hatred of the orcish half of her blood." Jaina sighed, shaking her head. "I tried all her life to teach her what good there was about orcs and how she should be as proud of that half of her as of the human half, but all she could see was a father who, in her eyes, abandoned her, and the cruelty of the man he left in charge in his place."

"But surely Thrall visited her during her childhood, he only left a few years ago and you two supposedly had a fairly steady relationship until then." Sylvanas pointed out.

"He and I still had to meet secretly due to factional disputes and I was only able to bring Tari along once a year. I think Thrall worried about failing her…he never seemed certain of how to act or what to say around her, like he was afraid one slip up would ruin her life…He always did analyze everything intently, perhaps too intently sometimes…" Jaina rested her head on Sylvanas' shoulder, seeming withdrawn and saddened remembering this.

"And so in trying to perfectly analyze what was right for his daughter, he only alienated her further and caused exactly what he wished to avoid. He was foolish to do so, but he's been making many foolish decisions lately, I'd noticed." Sylvanas frowned, glaring daggers at the door of the library outside of which two of Hellscream's guards were placed, keeping close tabs on the dark lady and her doings.

"He only ever wanted what was best for his people, much like myself, much like Varian and much like you." Jaina replied, nuzzling closer to Sylvanas. "I think that's all any leader wants and it's often hard to know perfectly, hard to think through the exact consequence of every little action you take…you can go over and over a plan a thousand times and it would still fail for the slightest reason. The important thing is that you keep on trying with all the best intentions to do what's right."

Sylvanas gave a hollow laugh. "What's right for me and my people is hardly what is otherwise 'right', my love."

"Maybe you just haven't thought through all your options yet." The mage looked somewhat quizzically up at the former ranger general as if calculating at once a thousand thoughts on that very subject.

Sylvanas sighed, she did not believe there was hope, no matter what Jaina said, Sylvanas felt in her heart that the mage was the only thing keeping her sanity intact, not the prospect of a better future truly being possible for her people. "I doubt that, but I will listen to what you have to say on the matter."


	9. Devil Take the Hindmost

Varian Wrynn, never a man to panic, was however a man subject to frequent bouts of rage in the place of panic. Now not only was Lady Proudmoore missing, but also Anduin had gone missing too. Varian was loathe to do what he was about to, and yet he knew this was more involved now than sending a few SI agents out to search and gather information. So here he stood, waiting in the Swamp of Sorrows at a small encampment containing only himself. Stormwind was left in the care of Broll Bearmantle and Valeera Sanguinar for the time being.

It was late, on the wrong side of midnight, Varian assumed by the blackness and cold of the night, and he was just feeling his eyelids grow heavy when a robed figure approached. The robes were brown leathers and suedes and the long greying beard and green skin marked him as the one Varian was waiting for.

"You're late." Varian snorted, not dignifying the Horde's former Warchief with a greeting.

Thrall chose to ignore the rudeness and instead make it very clear why he'd come. "I apologize, your highness. But know this; I only came because of her." A look of dislike to match Varian's crossed Thrall's face.

"You mean the woman you abandoned? Nice to know that you finally do care once she could potentially be dead." Varian sneered.

"Choose your words carefully, KING Varian, any feelings I have for Jaina will not prevent me from ending you. You called me here because she was in trouble and you needed help finding her, and so I'm here. If you truly cared for her, you'd put your dislike of myself and the Horde aside and tell me what you know." Thrall growled.

"Fine. She went to discuss a peace treaty with Sylvanas Windrunner. However beyond that, I am in the dark. I can't be sure if she's being held in Undercity for their vile experimentations or if she never made it there and was taken by the brute YOU appointed in your place." Varian replied, an edge to his voice indicating that it was taking every ounce of control in his body not to try and take Thrall's life right then and there. He crushed those thoughts and thought instead of Jaina, likely hurt, possibly dying. He thought also of Tiffin and how he had failed her. He would not fail Jaina as well.

"Then time is of the essence, but rushing into either conclusion would be foolish and the incorrect one would waste precious time. I will commune with the spirits as to Jaina's whereabouts." Thrall said, sitting down cross-legged and beginning to meditate.

Varian suppressed a snarl of rage, thinking this to be a waste of time. But no…Jaina trusted Thrall and Thrall obviously did care for her, he wouldn't risk Jaina's life. Varian forced himself to calm down and guard the orc during his meditations.

The black market district in Booty Bay was in full swing today, everything from prostitutes, to slaves, to mercenaries to illegal weapons and substances were being hawked and bartered atop auctioneer stands. Mikah, Anduin and Tari walked through the throng, looking about for the proper type of mercenary.

"Damn! Some of these girls are great!" Mikah grinned, looking the whores over. "Hey! Ladies! Who wants to polish this priest's staff?" He yelled, pointing at Anduin.

"Mikah, I swear I will send you running into the bay next time you do that." Anduin sighed, pressing his palm to his face in annoyance.

"Psychic scream is for pussies." Mikah retorted plainly. "By the way, where's Tari?"

"You lost her!" Anduin's eyes widened. "Mikah, that's not good! I told you to keep an eye on her!"

"She probably went to go masturbate over some super orc killing Dwarvish rifle or something." Mikah shrugged. "We'll find her."

"I found us a guide." Tari's voice grunted from behind them. "This is Aila, she's half-high elf and half human and her father was a member of SI:7. Can we go?" When Anduin and Mikah turned around, they saw Tari was holding a half-elf girl about her own age in her arms.

"Er…okay, hello Aila, where did you and Tari find each other?" Anduin asked.

"Well, I ran out of money and this goblin said he knew how could work off my debt and the next thing I knew, I was up on an auction block with a bunch of dirty old men bidding on me. But then Tari forced her way through the crowd, punched the auctioneer out, noticed my clothing and asked if I was a rogue because, you know, of all the black, and when I said yes, she drew her weapon, pointed it at the bidders and said she was taking me and the auction was over." The half-elf explained awkwardly as though the whole situation still seemed bizarre to her. Tari set her down and Aila stood up, shaking out her long golden hair. She wore a black high necked sleeveless chest piece which showed off midriff and a bit of the under part of her large breasts, her leggings were also black leather with empty dagger holsters and knee-high black boots made for silent, quick movements. Her hands were clad in long black gloves padded at the fingers and palms for easy grip on valuables and walls and her blue eyes gazed sharply around with the practiced stare of a treasure hunter.

"I have a question." Mikah asked, raising his hand.

"If it's about her tits, I'm killing you." Tari said bluntly.

"I no longer have a question." Mikah lowered his hand.

Anduin rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry for your troubles, miss, we're pleased to meet you and we will offer you money in exchange for your services as a guide. We're headed to Ratchet at this moment, so if you'll come with us, we'll also pay for your boat ride."

"Thanks, I REALLY appreciate it." Aila nodded as she followed the group towards the docks. "Oh…um…do you have extra weapons? I had to sell my daggers…At the time, I thought a few tankards of cherry grog were a more important investment, I won't make that mistake again."

Anduin raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze towards Tari with a look that plainly said 'really?' Tari nodded and moved protectively close to Aila. "Give her the knives, Anduin, I know you have them in the supply pouch, I packed them myself." Tari replied.

"Alright, but drinking will be kept in moderation on this expedition, we don't have time for taverns and drunks." Anduin pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.

Jaina lay with Sylvanas in the library, Sylvanas reading aloud from a book of elvish poetry as Jaina rested her head against the banshee queen's chest, eyes half closed. She had not been able to relax this much in quite a long time. It was truly restful here. But, she supposed that restful was how one was supposed to think of the dead, though given recent history that was a bit of a laugh. Still, the poetry was beautiful, the chill of the library was offset by the warmth of Jaina's cloak and the softness of Sylvanas' full, well-shaped breasts beneath the more relaxed cloth armor she wore when at rest and at a lowered risk of attack.

When the poem was finished, Sylvanas gently closed the book and set it aside, moving to gently cup Jaina's chin in her hand and tilt her head up to kiss her. It felt right. Sylvanas had never had time for love, never really had time to discover her preferences. She certainly had no intention of going soft or laying down arms, but this was a pleasing distraction and perhaps Jaina could be brought over to her way of thinking. It couldn't be too difficult. "Jaina, you're a rare beauty, a treasure greater than any the Alliance could keep locked up in a vault. You deserve better than they offer, better than the Horde would offer. Though I spoke out of rage and hate when last I brought this up, they have passed you back and forth and treated you badly under the pretense that they'd agree to whatever peace summit or truce you devised. They think of you as a fragile flower, my love." Sylvanas twirled a strand of Jaina's golden hair around her finger, looking deeply into her blue eyes. "But I know differently, I know you are strong, I know if you only let a touch of darkness in your heart out, then you could control them. You could make them see your point. Imagine it, my darling, your peaceful utopia, the Horde and the Alliance in perfect harmony, you could have it…"

Jaina tensed slightly, looking a bit uncomfortable at that. "But…resorting to violence would undermine all I've ever said, all I've ever worked for, I-"

Sylvanas pulled her close in another much deeper kiss, caressing her softly as she did. When she pulled away, tiny string of saliva connecting their mouths for a moment, she waited before breaking the connection and saying "Think of yourself, Jaina, you deserve better."


	10. Wandering Child

"You know, guys, before we rush headlong into this, a good adventuring party always has supplies." Mikah suggested, rummaging through the worryingly sparse supply bags he and Anduin had packed before leaving Stormwind.

"Since when has any adventuring party you were ever a part of been a proper one?" Tari raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, re supplies, we'll stop in Theramore. It's the only place anyone was ever nice to me, so I'm sure we'll pay less there."

"It's because you're ugly." Mikah replied flatly. "People are mean to you because you're hideous. Ah!" Mikah yelped as Anduin's elbow dug into his rib as Tari got up and stormed out of their cabin.

"Don't go there, Mikah." The prince of Stormwind shook his head. "Just let that go right now."

"Tari isn't ugly, why should it upset her to be called ugly?" Aila asked innocently, cocking her head to one side.

"Tari could care less about comments on her appearance, Aila, it's the whole not fitting in anywhere but Theramore issue that gets to her. Half-orcs aren't accepted everywhere, you know, especially not those born of a consensual relationship." Anduin cleared his throat as he continued. "If a human or an orc is raped by a member of the other race, the child born of that at least has a chance that it would be pitied rather than hated, or even if the conception was consensual and the parents an unknown couple. However Tari is the result of love between two powerful rulers. Jaina and Thrall were always teetering dangerously close to being branded traitors by their respective people for even having a friendship, when Tari's existence was out in the open, it got far more personal, especially when her parents were no longer together. People who didn't know Jaina personally considered her a betraying whore and those of Thrall's people who followed Garrosh considered Thrall a weak minded pet to some spoiled human tramp. Because her parents are far more powerful and skilled in both leadership and combat than she is, Tari receives the full force of dislike that's aimed at them."

"She brings most of it on herself. No one was rude to her in Booty Bay, she was the only woman in that bar that wasn't a stripper, how was that guy supposed to know she wasn't one?" Mikah rolled his eyes.

"It wasn't JUST Booty Bay. You weren't the one helping her find a place to stay in Stormwind when she started her training, Mikah. Come on, think about it. As much as I love my father, I freely admit he isn't the most open and kind man regarding orcs and yet Tari stayed with us, wouldn't that tell you everyone else's reaction was worse?" Anduin shook his head.

"Oh…So….it's different being half-orc than half-elf?" Aila asked, confused.

"Not in Quel'thalas it isn't." Mikah rolled his eyes.

"Quel'thalas is one city, Mikah, and one that has been humbled greatly, I'm sure you'd find more acceptance there now than before. Tari has been bounced from town to town since she ran away because she doesn't fit in anywhere. The orcs see the shade of blue of her eyes and know she's Thrall's. The humans see her golden hair and the Theramore crest she refuses to remove and know Jaina is her mother. And more than that, even the more open people about such relationships, those who wouldn't fault Tari and would judge her on merit are shallow by standards of merit. The orcs think she's weak because she's a woman and a half-breed at that and if you heard the things the guards said about her in the palace when she was staying with my father and I, you'd think they were talking about some mindless beast." The prince replied evenly, merely explaining. "My father had to forbid them from talking about her so she wouldn't run again."

"Um…guys, not to interrupt, but do you see out the window? What are we passing that has that much smoke?" Aila asked, pointing to the port hole.

Anduin turned and looked out the window, through the smoke and haze, he could see fire in the distance near Ratchet and yet not a simple brush fire in the barrens. His blood ran cold. "Mikah, go get Tari, don't let her stay on deck."

"But why, what-"

"NOW, Mikah." Anduin said through clenched teeth, shoving the paladin towards the door.

Realizing what Anduin was talking about as he looked out the window, Mikah felt his blood run cold as he ran out onto the deck. He knew he had to keep Tari from seeing what was on the horizon, but he himself couldn't help but feel a rush of cold dread at knowing what was happening. The half-elf's mind raced a mile a minute and he moved like a man in a dream through a haze of nausea and disbelief as he raced across the deck, seeing the half-orc girl polishing her glaive, sitting down, not yet noticing the burning swamp land that had once been home to both herself and Mikah.

"Tari, I…I wanted to apologize. Please come back below with us." Mikah said, his voice choked up and a touch squeaky.

"You can take your apologize and shove it up your ass. That would be good for you on two counts as it's the only way you'd ever get laid." Tari spat at him, eyes narrowing. "But, I suppose we will be nearing Theramore soon, it'll be good to see home again." She began to stand up and turn in the direction the isle would be visible from.

"No! I….It's better we re-supply in Ratchet! W…What if…ah….what if your mother is back in Theramore? She'd be really emotional seeing you again!" Mikah fumbled for excuses, grabbing Tari and trying to hold her still so she wouldn't look.

"Nonsense! She was captured by someone, you know that! Now let go!" She began to turn in the direction of Theramore, but Mikah quickly pulled her close into a tight hug.

"Don't look, Tari, please…Please just come with me." Mikah whispered softly. Could Tari hear tears in his voice? A muffled sob?

"Let me go! What's the matter with you!" Tari kneed Mikah hard in the gut and turned towards the sight of the burning island stronghold that had once been her home. "No…" Tari's blue eyes widened and without a moment's hesitation, she leapt off the boat and began to swim for the shore as quickly as she could.

"Tari! Wait! Come back!" Mikah stumbled towards the edge of the boat, cursing under his breath as he quickly turned and ran to go find Anduin and Aila. The whole run back to their cabin was a blur to him as he quickly threw open the door full force. "Anduin, Tari saw the fires, she's swimming to shore."

"Dammit!" Anduin cursed in frustration, climbing to his feet as Aila quickly followed suit. The three also rushed towards the deck and also quickly jumped off the boat, beginning to swim to shore, though Tari was already on land running towards the only true home she'd ever known, eyes wide with worry.

Quickly crossing the swamp, not stopping for anything and only taking the briefest moment to slow down and slash the legs off of a giant spider as she rushed to the gates of the city. When Tari reached the front gates, they were smashed and the city was burning. "No…" She shook her head. "NO!" And with that, she rushed through the broken gates, storming into the fallen city and beginning to look for survivors. As she searched, she heard voices in the tower. "M…Mother?" She whispered to herself, not quite able to make out how many voices there were or what gender and race they belonged to.

Tari was about the rush into the tower when suddenly, she felt a hand grab her and another over her mouth. She began to struggle and squirm, angry and frightened.

"Stop your struggling, girl! Are you mad? I'm saving your life!" A stern, bossy female voice hissed in Tari's ear. Tari raised an eyebrow. She knew that voice.

Darting her eyes back to look at her alleged 'rescuer', Tari was face to face with a spectral old woman with long glowing white hair, gently glowing green eyes and a diadem of jade and silver adorning her head. "Chamberlain Aegwynn? But….you're dead."

"Really, child? I hadn't noticed." The former Guardian of Tirisfal rolled her ghostly eyes at the young half-orc, releasing her. "But anyway, be that as it may you will find no survivors here, the city lies in ruin and most of its people lie dead. I always knew the people of Theramore would rather go down with their city than ever fail their city. Your mother certainly knows how to inspire loyalty, though I doubt this is what she'd have wanted for them." The mage looked around, shaking her translucent head.

"But Aegwynn, I have to try, if even just one person could be alive…These were the only people who showed me kindness my whole life, this whole city was like family to me!" Tari was bravely fighting back tears at this point.

"Tari! Listen to me, there is NOTHING you can do for these people, but if you're intent to at least know who did this, then come with me but be quiet and don't draw attention to yourself." Aegwynn commanded, leading Tari behind the tower. There, she would find an orcish helmet with the insignia of a screaming demon skull emblazoned on it. "Put that on. The owner's body should be nearby, take his tabard and shoulder guards as well. Hide all of your Theramore insignias; cover them with the one on the helmet."

Tari nodded and quickly began to loot the orcish corpse at her feet, slowly putting on his helmet, shoulder guards and Tabard. She looked up at Aegwynn, questioning what to do next.

"You need me to tell you what to do next? By the light, child, you are certainly not your mother's daughter, constantly needing others to make decisions for you. That's one of the things I liked about her, very decisive and wanted what she wanted. Anyway, you can now walk around freely and explore. You could even go directly speak to their commander in the tower." The spirit suggested.

"As sharp tongued and crotchety as ever, milady." Tari shook her head, managing a weak smile as she headed towards the tower, looking around as she stepped through the splintered door and climbed the stairs towards her mother's room where she could hear male voices. Gruff and deep, most assuredly orcish. Though one was not so.

"Ya gone too far, Hellscream. Jaina always been a good woman, nevah cause no trouble wit de Horde. Dis be treason, attackin' her city! T'rall be havin' yer head when he come back! Don' be t'inkin' I won' be makin' him aware 'a dis." A tall, lanky troll with shockingly red hair and blue skin stood there in the armor of what Tari knew from books to be a shadow hunter.

"Well, as you can see, Vol'jin, the FORMER Warchief's whore isn't even here. Besides, I am the Warchief now and I can do whatever I want. You'd do well to remember that." A hulking brown skinned orc with a bald head and very intimidating armor spoke up. "Regrettably, their brat wasn't here either. Pity, I'd have enjoyed that." He sneered, crushing a framed image of Tari and Jaina beneath his heavy boot.

"Oh, ah be rememberin' ya ain't T'rall, believe me, WARCHIEF. Because de Warchief ah followed didn't be causin' senseless slaughter an' threatenin' children an' women." The troll's gaze was hateful and cold at the orc, whom Tari now knew was Hellscream.

"Watch your tongue, old fool, I've informed that uppity bitch Sylvanas what happens to those who cross me and you'd do well to remember it too." Hellscream grabbed Vol'jin by the front of his armor and pulled him threateningly close.

"An' ah be watchin' mah behavia' if ah be ya, mon. De Darkspear 'ave ancient powah' ya can't begin ta comprehend, ya harm me, ya be learnin' dat." Tari felt a rush of respect for this old troll as he spoke. She'd never much liked the Horde, but she'd never known they could be so different from the horrible beast that Hellscream was.

Tari stepped into the room, looking around a bit. With her green skin and now this disguise, she wouldn't appear suspicious. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were covered well enough. "Ah…sirs, a full sweep of the island reveals no survivors and neither is there a sign of Lady Proudmoore." Yes, that was it, just like one of their soldiers.

"Hmm…Quite a pity, I've wanted to put that whoring little bitch in her place for quite some time." Garrosh snorted, then looked at Tari. "I don't recall appointing such a scrawny female to my invasion detail, though." His eyes narrowed as he looked her over.

Vol'jin watched this scene unfold, noticing a stray lock of blonde under Tari's helmet, the cogs in his mind began to work out what that would imply about her and quickly he stepped forward. "Ah be de one appointin' her. She be part troll, dat why she so skinny. Ah send her ta scout de isle fer survivors. But now her duty be ovah an' it be time she get herself home, right, girly?" He asked, gripping Tari's shoulders and steering her towards the door.

"See to it she is not given such position again, her weakness reflects poorly on our army. If that human kind were to see us employ filth like that, he'd mark us for easy conquest." Garrosh sneered. "Take her back to the ship and put her on cooking or cleaning duty back on your miserable islands."

Tari seethed with rage, but Vol'jin's grip on her shoulders tightened as he steered her out the door of the room and down to the kitchen area where he quickly shut and locked the door, reaching forward and removing her helmet. "Ah t'ought so." He said, seeing her golden hair and wide blue eyes. "Tari Proudmoore, ah mus' be hones', ah was hopin' ya don't be here, an' yet ya come back at de wors' possible time."

"Who are you? How do you know me?" Tari asked, stepping back a bit.

"Ah be probably yer dad's oldes' frien' now dat Cairne be wit' us no longah. Ah course t'anks ta de pushy bastard ya seen up dere. Ah be Vol'jin, leadah of de Darkspear Trolls, we de firs' race ta join ya fatha's Horde." Vol'jin bowed politely, knowing Tari was raised by humans and would best understand that form of greeting.

"Well, as much as I dislike my father, you seem a good man, Vol'jin, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Taretha Proudmoore…daughter of…Jaina? Granddaughter of…uh…" She scratched the back of her head for a moment. "Daelin. Yeah, that was his name…"

"Dat ain't how 's done in Orcish culture. Ya don' mention ya ma's family, only ya dad's lineage be important." Vol'jin explained, more conversationally than chastising.

"Yeah, I know…but I changed it because I don't much like the other. But…I'm a little rattled, just to help me calm down; do you know what my full introduction would be that way?" Tari asked with a weak, tired smile up at the troll leader.

"Ya be Taretha, daughtah 'a T'rall, son 'a Durotan, son 'a Garad. Heir to de Frostwolves." Vol'jin humored the girl, best to keep her calm, he knew well that she was sixteen and forced to hide from, rather than confront the man who had destroyed her home. Vol'jin knew all too well of losing one's home. It had been a hard fought battle to reclaim his own.

"Right, well I may try and remember that one then. I'd imagine mentioning my mom's dad in front of the Horde is probably a dumb idea anyway." She nodded.

"Ah'd say ya right 'bout dat." Vol'jin nodded. "Now come on, we gotta get ya outta here before Garrosh find out an' try ta kill ya. He already wanna kill yer mom, she jus' lucky she safe where she at now."

"Wait, Vol'jin, you know where my mother is?" Tari gasped. "You have to tell me!"

"Ah tell ya when we safe an' away from here!" Vol'jin replied, grabbing Tari's hand and leading her to the door, which swiftly flung open.

"Tari! You're safe! Thank the Light!" Anduin said gratefully, recognizing Vol'jin and realizing Tari was not in danger as long as she was with him. The priest still ran forward to embrace the half-orc in a friendly, relieved way.

Mikah stared blankly at Tari and approached her. "You…ah…you made them worry…So I had to deal with that the whole way here, so yeah, thanks, bitch." He rolled his eyes, speaking entirely deadpan, though his mannerism was closer to an older brother who had almost lost an annoying sibling whom he still cared for despite their differences than someone who was honestly annoyed and uncaring.  
"Oh, Tari, we were so afraid! We….we thought you'd be captured…or…or worse!" Aila said softly, a little tearful as she approached the former paladin.

"Save de sappy reunion, kids, we ain't outta de woods yet." Vol'jin frowned, shepherding the younger adventurers towards the shattered door of the once great tower.

"Nor will you be any time soon." A cruel, cold voice rumbled from the nearby stairs as hulking, heavy footsteps sounded towards them. "I may not have gotten my hands on that human wench today, but it looks like I've got a far greater haul. Is that the human prince I see among your protectors, little half-breed?" Garrosh sneered as his eyes fell upon Tari and her friends, focusing most intently though on Anduin. "It seems the little rat has led me to far better prey. The human prince, a half-breed brat and a traitor to the Horde, I'll be regarded as a hero for this little clean-up effort. Destroy the enemy, keep the Horde bloodlines pure and make an example of all who would oppose me."

"And also there are two half-elves here, but I suppose we're not important enough for your little villain diatribe, are we?" Mikah folded his arms across his chest, rolling his eyes.

"Way to draw attention to us, Mikah. I don't know you that well, but I think I hate you." Aila sighed, drawing her daggers. Tari and Anduin were already armed and Mikah soon drew his weapon as well, preparing to face down the tyrannical and cruel Warchief of the Horde.

"Lowah ya weapons, yer more important den an old troll pas' his prime, ya got lives ta live, get outta here, Tari go find yer ma before dis bastard does." Vol'jin's eyes narrowed as he glared towards Garrosh, stepping between him and the four travelers.

"But…But Vol'jin, let us stay and help you!" Tari pleaded.

"No. Ya run an' ya don' look back. Ah can take care a meself. Don't underestimate de spirits' powah." Vol'jin shook his head. "Now go!" 

Sylvanas had received the troll out runner only an hour ago, Theramore lay in ruins. How could she tell Jaina? Or…could this work in her favor? It would certainly hurt Jaina, but the fire of pain would reforge her soul stronger and darker than ever. Sylvanas could have her without ever having to give up her own goals and agenda. But could she knowingly hurt Jaina just to achieve that end? She would have to think on this.

Looking over at the beautiful dreamer laying in her bed, sleeping peacefully and likely dreaming of a better time, Sylvanas opted not to disturb Jaina with this until there was truly a need for it. Let her have as many sweet dreams as she could, those were a rarity for anyone these days, Sylvanas knew that well enough.

Approaching the bed, she gently caressed Jaina's golden hair; feeling the silky soft locks cool and smooth beneath her long dead, bow calloused fingers. A smile crossed her face and she softly kissed the mage's head. Who else could ever have made the banshee queen put their feelings before her own agendas?

_A/N:_ _Again, I apologize for the long wait and the possible (likely?) lapse in quality, I *really* like this one girl I know and I made her a Sylvanas cosplay for Otakon as a present, it was a lot of fun and I'm proud of how it turned out, but it did take up a lot of time to do. Also, I have a workout schedule, two jobs and a dying grandmother, so my time to write is very scarce. I literally woke up at four AM for two days just to have an extra few hours to write up this chapter, though it is longer as many of your requested, even without this rambling note._


	11. You've Already Succumbed to Me

"You know, you're far more beautiful than any disgusting orc woman. Thrall was an idiot to leave you. And cruel as well. You bore him a daughter, you helped kill your father for his sake and you let him speak harshly to you and blame you for things and you merely turned around and helped him…You deserve better, my love. You should never have been saddened by it, you should be angry. How dare he? And how dare Varian treat you like a fool or a weakling who would just run to his arms. You're better than both of them. They should both pay." Sylvanas' red eyes narrowed as she gently held Jaina's head to her chest. The lovely mage had suffered a brutal nightmare, one that woke her screaming in the night and Sylvanas had been comforting her since. "If not for Thrall, your precious child would not have run away. You said she ran in a disagreement over her father, correct?"

"Well…yes…." Jaina nodded, biting her lip a bit as she considered Sylvanas' words. "Yes, Tari thought Thrall didn't care about her." Her blue eyes looked questioningly at the banshee queen, wondering what she was implying.

Sylvanas pulled Jaina into her lap so the blonde mage was facing away. She slowly caressed her lover's soft, warm breasts. "You are perfection, my darling. No one could ever find a more beautiful woman if they searched forever and I intend for you to stay beautiful. I will treat you the way you deserve, forget them. Expel them from your mind…or better yet, the world. They should rot."

"It….It did hurt when he left…" Jaina admitted, gripping her upper arms sadly. "I…I felt like I couldn't go on at first…My people saw me at my lowest point…my DAUGHTER saw me at my lowest point…Even my most trusted guard who has been like a son to me saw me at my lowest point. I never wanted to appear so weak before those who look to me to be strong…But…but it wasn't his fault….His people needed him with one of his own race…"

"That's ridiculous! You are beautiful, YOU are strong, YOU are worthy. It is Thrall who was unworthy of you and he needs to pay a price for not realizing that. You are not his whore, you do not exist only to give him pleasure when he desires something that's actually attractive on the side and he had a responsibility to your child. He shirked that responsibility and you must hold him accountable." Sylvanas hissed, roughly grabbing her lover by the chin, turning her head and kissing her fiercely to accentuate her point.

Jaina bit her lip, trying to calm the flood of emotion welling with in her. She was angry, she didn't want to admit it or show it, but she was angry. She was worth more than this. She was not a disposable toy; she was a living being and had feelings, feelings which should have been considered. But no, she couldn't be angry. That wasn't rational, it wasn't reasonable and it wouldn't change how things were. A mage controlled her emotions at all times; a mage did not have such outbursts. But the anger was there. He had treated her badly; he had treated her like garbage.

"You know, for someone who claims to disapprove of abuse towards women, Thrall forgets there are different kinds of it, my darling. To treat a woman the way he treated you, to make her feel so worthless, this is a feeling I know well, and it is abuse. Thrall is no better than Arthas or Varimathras. A calculating, selfish beast with no feeling for anyone but himself." Sylvanas continued.

"No…Thrall isn't like that…He…." Jaina thought back. How many times had Thrall blamed her or her people almost immediately for things that went wrong in Durotar? How often had he treated her like a dirty secret after they made love, forced her to teleport out or hide? How often had he relied upon her to rescue him or halt violence from the Alliance? "I…I could have been branded a traitor, I might have been beheaded…." She frowned bitterly, roughly wiping away a tear. "If Varian didn't like the way I look. That's all he ever cared about as far as I'm concerned. He claims to respect my mind, but really I'm just a dumb blonde whore with a nice body who looks like his dead wife. Neither of them REALLY ever cared for me…" She breathed deeply as more tears threatened to come forth. "And I would have been fine with that if they'd been upfront about it, if they hadn't pretended it was any different." She collapsed against The Dark Lady and began to sob, releasing likely years of pain and pent up emotion at how she'd been treated.

Sylvanas held her close. "It's alright, my darling, you have me now…and you have vengeance…that is all you need. Make them pay."

Jaina was horrified with herself deep down where she realized the influence these emotions were having on her, but outwardly, Sylvanas was making a lot of sense. "Y…Yes…They deserve to hurt like I do." She gasped. "I want them both to know what they've done to me!"

"Mmm….good girl." Sylvanas smirked. "Now come with me, I think this calls for a change in your appearance."

Jaina got up with her lover and followed her over to a small armoire in the corner. Inside was a beautiful black and deep violet battle robe. It would show more skin than Jaina's usual garb, however the protective spells and powerful magics Jaina could already sense on it made physical corporeal protection unnecessary.

Suddenly, Jaina found herself being undressed further by Sylvanas' calloused, cold hands and the mage felt compelled to reach up and kiss her while she did. Sylvanas smiled into the kiss and expertly began to help Jaina into the new set of robes, pulling away from the kiss and finishing off by placing a black metal tiara set with amethyst gems atop her beautiful head. Sylvanas guided Jaina over to the mirror and held her lovingly in front of it.

As Jaina looked in the mirror, she gasped. Her skin was white as falling snow and her eyes were a deep purple color now instead of their usual bright, innocent and lively blue. Her blonde hair was platinum rather than golden now and she noticed a slight point to her upper and lower canine teeth. "W…What is happening to me?" She asked.

"You're doing something for you, Jaina; you are realizing your own worth. You should be a queen, not merely a regent for that idiot in Stormwind to use as a pawn in Kalimdor. You are growing into something strong, something that won't put up with that treatment any longer." Sylvanas explained.

"I….I think I like it." Jaina's eyes narrowed and a cold smile crossed her face. Inside, her soul was screaming a warning and yet Sylvanas' pretty words spoke louder.

-Not far away, near Shadowfang Keep-

"Jaina is nearby, the spirits sense this." Thrall looked at Varian as he stood up. "But they've sensed a change in her. I fear something has happened."

"Then we have no time to lose, we have to rescue her!" Varian snapped, rushing headlong towards Silverpine forest. "We're nearly there!"

"Wait! If you rush in and get yourself killed, then you doom her. You need to take this slowly." Thrall called after him, following.

"You don't care about her! Why should I listen to you!" Varian snarled, not even turning back to look at Thrall. "You're a foul beast who used her for your own selfish pleasure and then found another disgusting animal of your own kind to please your baser senses. Jaina has feelings you never even bothered to think of and she deserves better than you. Your daughter deserves better than you as well."

Thrall bristled with rage at that. "I love Tari very much and I will NEVER get over any of the feelings I have for Jaina. And I'd say I'm a far better father than you will ever be, you don't even LISTEN to your son's pleas for reason and peace."

"Alright, scum, let's end this right now. I don't need you to help me save Jaina, I'm just fine alone." Varian shot back through clenched teeth.

"Then you are a fool, neither of us can infiltrate Undercity alone and the desire to save her is the only reason I am still putting up with your bile." Thrall growled, pushing past Varian and continuing along the forest path towards Undercity.

Shaking with rage and hatred, Varian followed Thrall, imagining gutting him right then and there but thinking better of it, knowing Jaina was in trouble, knowing she needed them now as they'd both so often needed her in the past. It was their turn to return the favor and save her from some horrific fate.


	12. Down Once More

Tari had been silent the entire ride from Theramore towards the Eastern Kingdoms. Anduin had never known her to ever show weakness or vulnerability in the entire time he'd been her friend. One benefit of wearing cloth robes instead of heavy armor, the priest could more easily read a person's body language simply from a touch. As Tari clung to his waist as they both sat on the back of one of the gryphons which escaped the burning rookery back in Theramore, Anduin felt the half-orc shaking. Also, he could feel the wetness of her tears soaking his tabard as she rested her head against his back.

The prince looked over at the other gryphon flying beside them, Mikah sat atop it, equally shaken and silent, not even noticing Aila's body pressed against his as she held onto him to keep from falling. It was eerie. Any other day, Mikah would have been grinning like a rogue in a royal vault at the feeling of that sort of woman on his body even in such a practical, innocuous way. The change was jarring, though Anduin supposed he'd heard his father's story of watching Stormwind burn as a child and upon reflection, this was the same scenario. Perhaps when they returned home, Varian would have some better insight to help the two wounded souls cope with the loss of their childhood home. As the gryphons began to descend, clearly in need of sustenance, Anduin realized they were landing near Lordaemere Lake. It made him mildly uneasy to be so close to Undercity, but it did enter his mind that this had been one place he had considered Lady Proudmoore might be.

As the gryphons landed at the water's edge and the tired riders dismounted, Tari took a deep breath. "I would like to go scout the area."

"Take someone with you, Tari; you shouldn't wander off alone around this area." Anduin said, looking with concern at the warrior.

"I'll go." Aila volunteered, stepping to Tari's side. When the prince nodded his approval and Tari did not seem to object, the two women started off into the woods as Mikah sat by the water's edge, staring blankly into the distance.

"Do you want to talk about it, Tari?" Aila asked as they approached the moonlit path just barely lit beneath the trees.

"NO."

"Do you want to talk about anything to get your mind off it? It helps, I promise." Aila bit her lip, meekly putting forth this secondary suggestion.

"Shut up, Aila." Tari replied flatly. A sudden gasp escaped her lips as she stopped, shoving Aila into the bushes and hiding back there as well.

"Well there was no reason to hurt me!" Aila pouted.

"Shut up, you fucking idiotic bimbo." Tari growled, looking out of the bushes at a small encampment just across the path. "That's the Frostwolf symbol on that tent."

"The what?"

"Well, if you must know, that is the orcish clan I regrettably technically belong to through my father." Tari explained. "Now be quiet, we're going to have to observe the orcs so we know when to strike."

"Wait…isn't your mom Lady Proudmoore?"

"Yes, now shut up."

"Doesn't this undermine all she ever worked for?"

"SHUT UP, AILA." Tari gripped Aila's throat tightly.

"Y…You're hurting me!" Aila gasped. Tari's grip loosened suddenly and she dropped the half-elf.

"No…It can't be…" Tari's blue eyes went wide as she looked at the large orcish male who had just stepped out of the tent. Tari got numbly to her feet and shambled out of the bushes like one of the undead who made their home nearby. "You…." She breathed, blue eyes locked intently on the orc, who turned and with a look of shock and awe gazed back with the same blue eyes.

"Tari?" Thrall breathed, stepping towards his daughter, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. "My child, is that really you?"

"Yes, father, and with me I bring your death!" The young half-breed snarled, drawing her war glaive and taking her stance. "Your horrible treatment of my mother, your lack of attention towards me, it all ends here!"

"Wait! Tari, you don't understand! Please, just stop and listen, I don't want to hurt you." Thrall held up his hands in a gesture of peace.

"It is too late for words now, father." Tari laughed coldly. "Where was this desire for a little heart to heart when I was a child? Where were you when I needed you! ?"

Out of a second more non-descript tent stepped another figure Tari recognized, King Varian Wrynn. Tari paused a moment, looking at the King of Stormwind. "Your highness, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be looking for my mother? Well, no matter, help me slay this beast and then I'll lead you back to Anduin and Mikah, we'll help you finish your search."

"Varian, tell her to stand down. She'll listen to you. It seems she trusts you." Thrall implored the human king.

Varian looked from Tari to Thrall. He'd have loved for there to be one less orc in the world, especially one he believed had wronged him so much as Thrall had. But he looked at the former Warchief and he recognized the look in his eyes. Thrall wasn't worried about his own life; Thrall didn't want to have to hurt his own daughter. That look was a father's concern and it bespoke a feeling that Varian knew all too well. With a heavy sigh, the king held up his hand. "Stand down, Tari. You'll have time to hear your father out later, right now you need to go back to Anduin and Mikah and go home. We know where your mother is and we are going to rescue her, you three need to go before you get hurt."

"Father!" Anduin called out as he, Mikah and Aila ran towards the scene.

"It would appear that is unnecessary." Thrall remarked, nodding towards the little group.

"Anduin! What are you doing here?" Varian asked, moving towards his son as Tari lowered her weapon.

"Father, we went to find Lady Proudmoore. Mikah and Tari were extremely concerned." The prince explained.

Varian nodded. It occurred to him now, looking at the party of young adventurers that his son had long since ceased being a child and Tari and Mikah were growing up as well. "Alright, then come with us, there's no time to lose. Together we should prove more than enough to free Jaina from wherever she is being held in that foul crypt the undead call a city."

"But how will we get in unnoticed? Sylvanas has posted more guards and altered the passages since we were last here." Thrall frowned.

"Oh, leave that to me." Aila chimed in, rummaging in her pocket and pulling out a crumpled piece of parchment.

"What the fel is that?" Tari raised an eyebrow.

"A map to Undercity." Aila beamed.

"Why would you need that? What possible business would you have in Undercity?" Mikah gaped.

"Well that's why I was in Booty Bay. I heard about a secret book vault Sylvanas has and I thought maybe those would be worth a lot, so flirted with this undead guy at the tavern, 'cause what the hell, right? He can't do much. And when he was passed out in my room, I stole his map…and maybe some of his gold….or all of it….and also some stuff he had on that looked expensive…and a gold tooth. But anyway, point being I have this map." Aila explained.

"Then why were you broke when we found you? No, I really feel this needs answering." Mikah continued.

"No, it really doesn't, we're wasting time, she has a map, who cares where she got it, let's do what we all came here to do." Anduin neatly ended the side conversation, confiscating Aila's map. Thrall and Varian both looked expectantly at him. "No, I think I'll hold this. In the name of keeping everything even and smooth, I think it's best a neutral party acts as guide. Let's go." The prince started down the path towards Undercity.

Thrall looked rather amused and impressed by the young prince's decision and chuckled a bit. "As you say, Prince Anduin. As diplomatic a man as ever."

Varian shook his head but followed his son and soon the rest of the mismatched party fell in line.


	13. Pitiful Creature of Darkness

Sylvanas would have been livid under any other circumstances when she heard that there was a small army of intruders in her city. However, knowing who the intruders were and what they'd come for, a smirk played upon her lips.

"Let them come." She ordered her guards. "Stand down, surrender and let them pass. It's been a while since I've had such company."

Her guards and servants were naturally confused; the Dark Lady was without mercy ordinarily. Had she finally snapped? Even so, it was not their place to question her, so they did as they were commanded and stood down.

"Where is she, foul witch!" Varian Wrynn snarled, drawing his sword as he rushed into Sylvanas' audience chamber, mouth curled into a snarl. "Free her or die!"

"Sylvanas, we know you have her. It was a mistake to listen when the Earthen Ring implored me to accept you into The Horde. I could believe the plague was Varimathras' doing, but this act of violence against Lady Proudmoore was your doing alone." Thrall glared, hammer raised.

Both Varian and Thrall were shoved slightly aside as Tari wriggled through the gap between them and rushed at Sylvanas with her glaive raised in attack. "GIVE ME BACK MY MOTHER, YOU EVIL BITCH!" She roared, the Orcish traits she hated actually proving a blessing as her increased muscle mass cushioned the blow when Sylvanas simply raised her bow, knocking the girl into the nearest wall.

"All of you, just calm down. Of course you can see Lady Proudmoore. Just sit back and relax." The Banshee Queen chuckled, eyes glowing as the group would suddenly find themselves bound in place by ghostly chains which had abruptly slithered up from the floor.

Aila, also ensnared but unimportant enough to go mostly unnoticed began shaking her head, her braid swinging like a pendulum.

'What are you doing?' Mikah mouthed at her.

'Hairpins.' Aila mouthed back.

Mikah rolled his eyes. 'Women.'

"My dear, we have guests, come greet them, my love." Sylvanas called out into the shadowy doorway which led to her private chambers.

At her call, the sound of high heeled boots clicking on the stones could be heard and slowly a very attractively formed figure stepped into the torch light until she was far enough into the room that it was obvious to all present that she was Lady Jaina Proudmoore. Of course, Jaina's change in appearance was startling, but she was still beautiful and still obviously her.

"Jaina!" Thrall and Varian gasped at the same time, looking at her.

A cold glare crossed Jaina's face. "Well, I suppose in a way I wanted to see both of you again…" She began, her voice resonant and cold, much like Sylvanas'. "I guess you two deserve to know why I am like this now…Though it should already be abundantly clear." She sneered.

"Clearly this witch has put a spell on you, Jaina, come with me, I'll get you help." Varian shook his head, struggling against the chains as one began to tighten against his throat.

Thrall, however, breathed deeply. "What do you mean, Jaina?" He asked, wincing a bit as the chain around his throat tightened as well.

"What do I mean? Come on, Thrall, don't insult both of our intelligence. You're smarter than that, in fact, one of the most intelligent men I ever met…"Jaina paused a moment, violet eyes flickering back to blue for a moment. "… and for that and many other reasons, I loved you."

"Jaina…"Thrall looked sadly up at her.

"But…it's too late for that now! You used me and then tossed me aside, I….I won't forgive you!" Jaina gripped her staff tighter. "Why was I always your dirty secret! Only ever a mistress, a bed warmer. You once told me what Blackmoore did to your friend Taretha, and in ways, you've done the same thing to me! But now, the user will be the one to suffer and not the victim!" The jewel on the staff began to glow bright red as Jaina aimed the lethal spell at Thrall.

"Jaina, don't do this! You don't want to do this, trust me." Varian managed even as the grip of the chains tightened further around his throat.

A hollow laugh escaped Jaina's beautiful lips. "Oh, I don't? And I suppose you would know what I do and don't want to do, _your majesty._ After all, you know everything about me and what's best for me, just like you were certain right after Thrall left me I would fall right into your arms and take my place in your bed and under your thumb, give up my ideals to suit yours."

"Jaina, I never thought that of you…" Varian choked. "Your independent spirit is one of…" He winced as he was sure his windpipe was being crushed. "One of the things that makes me respect you…Tiffin had that same spirit."

"Varian…." Jaina looked sadly at him, but again, the violet color returned to her eyes and she shook her head. "Tiffin also died because of your foolishness and greed; I think you have a debt to repay. Pity you didn't learn a lesson…"

All this time, Aila had finally managed to catch her braid in her mouth, gnaw out a hairpin and pick the spectral lock on her chains, then Mikah's then Anduin's, then Tari's. Anduin and Tari immediately rushed to defend their respective fathers.

"Mama, please…don't do this…No one hates Thrall more than I do, you know that, but you don't. You always loved him and you always said what he did he did for a reason…The only one hurt by his death will be you, because this isn't you. I don't want you to hurt anymore." Tari pleaded.

"Lady Proudmoore, Tari is right. Besides, this goes against everything you've ever stood for, you have to fight this, you're not this person. You're warm, you're caring, kind, you've always been someone I've looked up to and respected and someone my father deeply cared for. You're stronger than this, you can fight it." Anduin added to Tari's piece.

"Very sentimental, but it won't work, Jaina knows she deserves better. And now she's stronger than ever before, she will have the vengeance she deserves." Sylvanas smirked.

"No she isn't. It takes more strength to be a good person, to be a leader, than it takes to give into rage, hate and entitlement. Jaina's always been the strongest person I know and she would never give in to these feelings of her own accord." Mikah glared at Sylvanas. "I've fought your kind before and I know the tricks banshees use. And if you honestly believe what you've done is helping her, that you're using her any less than Varian or Thrall may have, you're a fool."

"Insolent little fool." Sylvanas sneered at Mikah. "You have no concept of rage, of hate. Where were you when our beloved city was ravaged by the scourge? A mewling infant in the arms of some deserter fleeing to Kalimdor. "You have no idea what it is to hunger so deeply for revenge. You spoiled children think to save the former Warchief and the human king? You think to change Jaina's mind? Troublesome. You'll all have to die then." She raised her bow, aiming an arrow directly at Tari. "Don't worry; you'll wake up with a new point of view shortly."

Jaina's eyes widened and reverted back to blue, staying that way this time; she tore the crown from her head and threw it aside, running over to Sylvanas and grabbing her arm. "No! This isn't right, I don't want them dead, I don't want my child dead and I can't go through with this anymore!"

Sylvanas lowered her weapon a moment, just staring at Jaina. "My darling, Thrall and Varian treated you like a whore and these brats would stand by them even so. They don't care for you."

"No, that's not true…Yes, I loved Thrall, I miss what he and I had every day, but he doesn't belong to me, he's free to make his own decisions, whatever the reason. He never did it to hurt me or Tari and the secrecy in our relationship was only to protect all three of us. He's not a bad person." As she spoke, she occasionally cast a sad glance at Thrall, who looked tenderly back at her as Tari borrowed Aila's hair pin and began trying to free him.

"And what of the human? The pig headed bastard who puts you second to his hatred and ignorance?" Sylvanas sneered. "Have you forgotten?"

"I disagree with Varian, he can be a hateful, prejudice-driven idiot a lot of the time…but he backs down when he's shown he's wrong. He does listen to me and he's a good man, his passion drives him and I love that about him. One day maybe he'll see the benefit of peace, but for now I just have to try and be a voice of reason…and that's what I'm doing right now." She faced Sylvanas. "I care for you deeply, my lady, I even think of you still as a lover after our time together. But there can be no benefit in killing these two. All that would happen is both the Alliance and the Horde would be outraged and you would be helping Garrosh to gain an even deeper foothold as the Horde's leader. With Thrall gone, who would be left who can truly oppose him?"

"I would oppose him! I would do anything it took to keep you safe and happy by my side." Sylvanas snapped. "You helped me at my lowest moment; you're all I have left!" Her red eyes widened in panic. "You're the only one who sees me as anything more than a monster anymore!"

Jaina looked deeply into Sylvanas' eyes, gently gripping her upper arms. "Then don't be one. You're strong, as Mikah told you; it takes a stronger person not to give into rage, hate and vengeance. You're not alone anymore and you'll never be alone again…" She kissed her sweetly, gently reaching up to lower the hood of the banshee queen's cloak and caress her long ghost white hair. Sylvanas slid her arms around Jaina's waist and returned the kiss.

Varian and Thrall, now both freed, stood somewhat dumbstruck, just watching the scene before them unfold. Mikah coughed into his hand and looked up and away, awkwardly scratching his neck as Aila and Tari stood nearby him watching as well.

"Aila…I'm sorry for how I treated you back in the woods…" Tari said softly, taking the half-elf's hand.

"It's water off a murloc's back." Aila smiled gently, resting her head on Tari's shoulder.

"Hey, Anduin, um…would it be more awkward or less awkward if we kissed?" Mikah asked, elbowing the prince.

"I'm going to go right ahead and pretend you didn't just say that." The priest pressed his palm to his face shaking his head.

"Well…I feel left out is all I'm saying." Mikah folded his arms across his chest.

Anduin inched away from Mikah, standing beside his father and Thrall now. "Staring is impolite, you know." The priest whispered.

Jaina and Sylvanas seemed to not notice or care about the others, but soon, Sylvanas pulled away gently. "My love, I can't keep you here. I didn't tell you, I feared it would hurt you too greatly, your city lies in ruin…and…" She looked over at Thrall. "Vol'jin is Hellscream's prisoner and awaiting execution in Orgrimmar. He was captured protecting Tari and Anduin."

"And also, Aila and Mikah, but hey, forget them, they're just random half-elves without famous parents…" Mikah rolled his eyes, receiving a glare from Aila, Anduin and Tari.

Jaina sank to her knees, fighting back tears. She bit her lip and shook her head, shaking off the devastation she felt at this news. She slowly got up. "My people are resourceful and brave; any survivors will have made their way somewhere safe, right now we need to rescue Vol'jin."

Thrall approached Jaina, gently holding her for a moment. "Thank you, Jaina…I know you grieve for your city and those lost, but your assistance in the rescue mission will be invaluable, my…" Thrall cut himself off and looked saddened. "…friend."

Varian thought a moment, conflict raging in his mind. Vol'jin was Horde. Enemy of the Alliance, and yet Vol'jin had a rational mind, he'd appeared at peace summits doing something other than casting blame and bile at the other side. Garrosh was not so wise. "My son and I will assist as well." Varian finally spoke up, approaching Thrall, Jaina and Sylvanas.

"And of course I owe it to Vol'jin after he rescued me." Tari added, she and Aila joining the group.

"Will you all finally acknowledge that I exist if I help?" Mikah rolled his eyes, then threw up his hands and walked over. "Fine. Fine, Vol'jin saved me too. I'm in."

_A/N: Not happy with this chapter, it's awkward and mood whiplash-y, but I can't really think of a better way to do it. As you know, I'm not really much of a writer; I just do this for fun. I promise I will try and make the rest less awkward and more betterer. Still working on cosplays, Arthas and Thrall are almost finished, then I've got to work on Varian, so yeah, lots of busy time._


	14. Either Way You Choose You Cannot Win

_A/N: Hey, sorry for the terribly long hiatus, I started writing erotica on AFF. My account there is Lady-Proudwhore if you're interested, but anyway, I've decided this fic was actually one of my better ones and it's high time I finished something I started. Also, I don't know how this'll end up in all honesty. My inner Phan tells me that since Christine/Raoul is how Phantom ends (barring Love Never Dies, which had a terrible storyline), Jaina should be with Thrall or Varian, but every inch of my OTP sense is screaming for Sylvanas/Jaina to prevail. What a predicament. So I'm stalling a bit, developing Tari a bit more. You guys seem to like her anyway._

"What were you thinking, old man? That you could defeat me? A Hellscream?" Garrosh sneered as he circled Vol'jin, who knelt chained by the throat in his cell, seemingly in quiet prayer.

"Well? Why don't you answer me? Where's all your threats and bravado now, old fool?" Garrosh continued to chide, but his only answer was softly spoken words in Zandali as Vol'jin kept his hands on his knees and his head bowed.

"ANSWER ME, YOU WASTE OF FLESH!" Garrosh snapped as he aimed a blow at Vol'jin, only to be thrown against the wall by a suddenly descending curtain of swarming insects.

Vol'jin opened his red eyes with a slight grin. "Mighty sorry, _Warchief_ ya be sayin' somet'ing 'bout dis old troll don't be able ta defeat ya? Ya be not wort' me time, whelp, I be lettin' de spirits take care of ya. Now if ya be excusin' me, me time here be up, I got a meeting wit' someone who be way more important den ya." Some of the swarm that wasn't impeding Garrosh's visibility landed on the chain around Vol'jin's next, seeming to dissolve it as the old troll got up and brushed himself off, calmly leaving the cell.

Once he was gone, the bugs disappeared entirely, leaving Garrosh gasping for breath and absolutely furious on the ground.

Outside Orgrimmar, Jaina had summoned four scrying orbs; each one had a match somewhere else in Azeroth. The one she held connected to one located in the Temple of the Moon in Darnassus, Sylvanas' to the royal chamber in Silvermoon, Varian's to the High Tinker's chambers in Gnomeragan and Thrall's to the Chieftain's tent in Thunderbluff.

"Lady Proudmoore, it is good to see you are safe, I had heard you'd gone missing." Tyrande Whisperwind spoke through the orb on her end. "Is something amiss?"

"High Priestess, we are presently unsure just what kind of devotion Garrosh Hellscream has acquired in Orgrimmar, Thrall believes we may need back up, I had hoped your sentinels and druids might again come to our aid." Jaina replied, inclining her head respectfully to her old ally.

"I will consult with Furion, but I believe you can rely on our assistance. I will also approach the Prophet Velen about aid from his people." Tyrande returned the gesture before disappearing.

"Ranger General, if you wish for the Horde to be rid of its current 'problem', join us in our assault at Orgrimmar." Sylvanas spoke bluntly to Lorthremar when he appeared in the orb.

"You won't have any argument from the Blood Elven troops, Lady Windrunner." Lorthremar replied bluntly. "I'll ready them." And with that, he disappeared.

Meanwhile, near where Thrall was sitting, looking over at Jaina, Tari approached her father, a difficult to read look gracing her decidedly orcish features. She sighed and plopped down next to him in a cross legged position, looking over at him and then away. Finally, deciding on how to begin her first real conversation with her father, she took a deep breath. "You still care about my mother, don't you?"

"What? Of course I do, she's a brave and intelligent leader who I am fortunate to have ever considered a friend at all, let alone a lover." He replied. "I don't think I'll ever stop feeling for her the way I did around the time you were born." So saying, Thrall looked a bit hurt.

"Then why did you leave her? Why did you leave ME? I'm your daughter, I needed you!" Tari's expression, for once, was one of hurt rather than anger.

"Of course you did, I understand that, Tari…but you're still a child, you haven't yet learned that sometimes in life, sacrifices must be made for the greater good. There are things greater than any of us going on in this world, things that require me to give up the life I wanted and live the life I have to." Thrall too seemed hurt, hurt that his own daughter could believe he didn't love her or her mother.

"But it isn't fair! I could help you with anything you were doing! I'm not weak and I don't like being pushed aside!" Tari snapped, glaring now as she folded her arms petulantly across her chest.

"No, you couldn't. You are my child and no parent wants to see their child brought to harm. If I stayed with you and your mother, you would both be in danger and I can't have your blood on my hands. There's too much blood of those I care about on my hands already." Thrall snapped back a touch more fiercely than he meant to.

Tari recoiled a bit at that, her father had never spoken to her that way before in the few times she'd been face to face with him in the past, it incited curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Would you like to know where you get your name from, Taretha Proudmoore?" Thrall asked, the expression on his face one of pain and sadness.

"I…guess no one ever told me…Alright." She nodded.

"When I was a child, I was trained as a gladiator by a man named Aedelas Blackmoore. One day I met a little girl a few years older than me. A kind, beautiful girl with hair like wheat and eyes like the sky. Her name was Taretha Foxton, the daughter of Blackmoore's secretary. Taretha's mother had apparently nursed me when I was an infant and Taretha had grown to see me as her little brother." Thrall breathed deeply. "For a time, we corresponded via letters tucked away in books. My instructor wished for me to study strategy and military history, so Taretha was told to put together bags of books for me each day. Eventually, Blackmoore as he frequently did, got angry and drunk, I had just lost an important match in the arena in front of one of his special guests it seemed, and so he refused me any healing and had me badly beaten by his men. I wanted to get out, so I told Taretha in our next correspondence and she readily agreed to help me." Another deep breath before continuing. "I found out when Taretha and I met outside the keep on my path to escape that Blackmoore had made her his consort. She must have hated it and tried to resist, because she was bruised as though she'd been held down. I begged her to come with me, but she refused for the sake of her mother and father. She cared very much for her family, which must have included me…Such light and understanding from a member of a race which had always seemed to me to be cruel and heartless. She didn't see a brute or a beast, she saw her little brother when she looked at me."

"So…where is she now? I don't understand…" Tari frowned. "Why is her blood on your hands?"

"I returned some time later with an army, hoping to free my captive brethren entirely. I met Taretha one last time, begging her to join us since I could not guarantee her safety if we were forced to invade the keep, but again, she refused for fear Blackmoore would hurt her parents. The next day when my army arrived at the gates of the keep, Blackmoore was again, drunk and enraged. He accused me of being ungrateful for his 'kindness', accused Taretha of being a whore who had bedded me and then to show all what would happen to traitors, he took out a simple brown sack and from it…."Tears were welling in the shaman's eyes now. "He pulled the head of Taretha, the first human to show me any kindness, the first family I ever knew, and threw it at my feet…I killed that bastard for what he did to her, but not a day has gone by that I haven't wondered what if I had taken the fortress by surprise? What if I'd arrived sooner? What if I'd gone back with Taretha that night to try to negotiate…?"

Tari sat there, dumbstruck for a moment, searching for words. "But no matter what, she died for what she thought was right…I'm…I'm proud to have her name and I'd be proud to do the same. Y…You're still my father and I wanted you to be part of my life even if it did put me in danger."

"And what about your mother? Would you want to see her brought to harm? Do you know what my enemies would do to her if they for one moment got the upper hand or caught her off guard?" Thrall's eyes narrowed darkly. "No. It's better for both of you this way. I will endure the pain of losing you both if it will keep you safe."

"Because leaving my mother worked out so well and clearly she's so much better off and happier now." Tari rolled her eyes. "That's why she was just about ready to kill you and Varian, right?"

"Enough, Tari! I am sorry for whatever pain I have put you through, but you're behaving like no more than a spoiled child. Your mother understands why I did what I did, she was used in a moment of weakness and that's all. It's time you learned that what you want and what you need are two separate things and there are things in life that can't happen, that don't go the way you want them to. If things were always perfect, I'd have spent every waking moment with you and your mother, but they're not. Get used to it." Thrall's voice was a harsh, guttural and cold one at this point. Tari's persistence was not appreciated.

"Fine! Well why don't you go talk to my mother instead of staring at her like some rare jewel behind a glass case! See what she REALLY thinks, what she REALLY would want!" Tari quickly got to her feet and stormed off. That had been a complete backfire.


	15. Met With Hatred Everywhere

"It's not even a question, Thrall. I want our child to be safe. I understand you can't be with us for that to happen." Jaina said softly as she faced a mirror enchanted to float in front of the back wall of the tent, gently brushing her hair. She sighed, placing the brush down and turned towards him. "I love you, I always will, but I have to think of Tari, she isn't safe around you with all the powerful enemies you've made. You're standing against powers more terrifying than if it were only Deathwing and that alone would have been bad enough…I don't want their sights set on our child, besides, you'd be so busy worrying about whether or not she was safe, you'd be in danger too and perhaps never finish your duty. Things are better this way…" She said, a touch sadly, but her decision stood firm, as Thrall had suspected and as he felt as well, it was more important for Thrall to be free to do what had to be done and for Tari to be safe than it was to try and defeat the odds and be a family. Love doesn't protect a person against terrible things. Jaina knew that all too well and so did Thrall. Both had lost enough people they loved to be painfully aware.

Love everlasting hadn't kept Arthas from taking up Frostmourne, daughterly love and admiration for Antonidas hadn't kept Arthas from striking him down during an assault on Dalaran. What had the platonic love of friendship done for Kaelthas? Left him cold and dead, an empty shell taken far from his home and drained of self and dignity by demonic forces. The familial love between a father and child hadn't melted Admiral Proudmoore's heart of ice and he'd lost his life for it, why should it be any different this time? Jaina knew the sacrifices that must be made. As a leader and also as a mother. The people of Azeroth needed the world restored and evil banished and Tari needed to be kept safe. Neither thing could happen if love was allowed to be all that mattered, if Jaina allowed herself and Thrall to foolishly believe love would conquer all.

Besides, there was still Sylvanas. What about her? Jaina had only just begun to discover the feelings she had for the Banshee Queen and they seemed to be doing the former Ranger General a lot of good. Love would not protect Thrall or keep Tari from harm, but it could save Sylvanas from herself, it could allow Jaina to be happy even without Thrall and it could still unite the Horde and the Alliance. Sylvanas was as much a leader of the Horde as Thrall was and Jaina had seen the good in her, she knew with time and understanding; she had a chance to allow that good to shine through again. True, Sylvanas would likely always be more cold and efficient as a leader, but she could be a hero again and as a lover, who knew?

"I understand…" Thrall inclined his head as he let the response he knew was right, the one he knew he'd receive, sink in. Still, he approached Jaina and sat beside her, gently brushing back a strand of golden hair. "But know that I will always love you and our child."

Jaina smiled, toying with Thrall's beard a little. "I've always liked your beard, you know, it tickled when we kissed, I think I'll always love you too and I will always miss that." She said softly, kissing him sweetly.

Thrall returned the kiss, gently running his hands over Jaina's shoulders for a moment before the kiss was broken. "I know I can't expect you to wait for a day when this will be possible again…so…I would say that was not bad for a kiss goodbye."

In the tent Tari was sharing with Anduin, Aila and Mikah, the young half-orc sat rather absently digging a throwing knife into a drawing she'd apparently made in the dirt depicting a bearded orcish male in shaman's robes. The first thing she noticed was not footsteps, but a shadow cast over her. Someone was behind her! Quickly, Tari whirled around, face to face with Sylvanas Windrunner. "Oh…What do YOU want?" Tari glared. "Here to kill me because my mom wouldn't?"

"Your death was never my intention, child. Nor, honestly, would your father's or that idiot the humans call their king. No hard feelings I hope, it was more a means to an end." Sylvanas' voice had a cold quality to it, angry, even though she seemed sincere in her lack of desire to hurt Tari.

"Then why? What end?" Tari's glare cooled to a simple frown as she looked up at the banshee queen.

"Look at them, Tari, no matter what their reasons, they used your mother and they hurt her. Your mother is the only good thing to enter my life since the day it ended. She deserves to be more than a consort or a buffer to prevent wars." Sylvanas sneered. "They have no idea what she could do to them if her heart was just a little less pure. I thought it was high time they learned."

"Well at least we agree on something." Tari snorted, leaning back and folding her arms across her chest. "But why are you here talking to me? If you like my mother so much, why aren't you with her?"

"Because, Tari, your mother told me about you, she cares very much about you and I thought I had better learn to." Sylvanas winced a bit at the idea of having to cozy up to a petulant teenager, but if Tari was so important to Jaina, then Sylvanas knew what would happen. A mother's first allegiance was to her child's wellbeing and Sylvanas was not a fool, if Tari seemed she would fare better without her, Jaina would find someone else or stay alone. True, Sylvanas could simply kill Jaina and keep her as a perfectly obedient puppet in that case, but for once, that was not a route the Banshee Queen was willing to take. At least not with Jaina.

"You know, I wish you had killed me." Tari broke Sylvanas' train of thought with that embittered, cold statement.

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why?" She frowned. It was getting harder and harder to like this child.

"Well…I don't want to be an orc. I hate them. They're ugly and cruel and they only use humans and act entitled when they invaded this lands out of blood lust. Varian was always civil to me, but I could tell when I lived in Stormwind that he was uncomfortable with my presence there and the guards always said I looked more like one of the boars they gutted for dinner rather than a proper woman. I figure if I was one of your undead, I wouldn't have to be an orc anymore." Tari explained.

Sylvanas snorted out a hollow laugh. "Do you hear yourself when you speak, child? Look at me; do I look any less like an elf just by virtue of being undead? Do the trolls roaming the plaguelands look any less like trolls? All being undead would do to you would make you cold, a bit paler and you would lose the ability to enjoy things like eating, drinking, sleeping….You're an idiot if you think you'd be better off this way." The last bit of the lecture came off rather snappish and cruel, but that was Sylvanas' nature. Sylvanas was not warm, could never be motherly and was not one to mince words.

Tari looked stunned. Thrall and Varian had both told her painful truths before and left her upset, but no parental figure nor potential parental figure had ever been so harsh with her. She wasn't sure whether to cry or burst into rage at this revelation.

"It's funny, you know, your mother is such a very intelligent and level headed woman. The things she bears and allows to be inflicted on her for the good of others, the vast insight she has and her ability to recognize what is and isn't possible. Even your father, for all his foolishness and blunderings is willing and able to learn from his mistakes and accept what he can't change. How is it that you are the only one in your family to piss and whine about how bitterly unfair and miserable your life is? You are the daughter of two of Azeroth's most powerful mortals and you were given the chance to grow up safe and loved in a shining tower by the sea in a city full of people who didn't judge or hate you and yet out of self-righteous ignorance, you caused the one person who cared most about you grief by running away to a place where you were shunned and despised. Every ill you have suffered thus far in your spoiled little life has been your own doing. You mother may love you and I will tolerate you for her sake, but you sicken me." Sylvanas glared, getting up and starting to leave the tent.

Tari bit her lip, lowering her head in thought for a moment, tears welling in her eyes even as she told herself she was a strong person and should not be prone to bouts of weakness such as tears. "M…Maybe you're right…about some things at least." She whispered.

"Then you'd better learn from those things, hadn't you?" Sylvanas replied bluntly, leaving the tent.


	16. Look With Your Heart

"Tari? Is something wrong, little one?" Jaina asked, stepping into her daughter's tent and kneeling on the ground beside where the half-orc was sitting, gently pulling her close in a gentle and warm embrace.

"Mother…" Tari began softly, squirming to free an arm so she could wipe away a tear, not wanting her mother to see her cry. "I…I just….I was thinking is all."

"Well, that's good, you've got a good mind and it's best to use it…what were you thinking about?" Jaina asked with a soft, kind smile.

"Well…just things…." Tari shifted a bit.

"What kind of things? You're my baby, I know when there is something wrong with you." Jaina persisted, holding her child close and brushing a strand of messy blonde hair out of Tari's face.

"Father thinks I'm a disappointment, Lady Windrunner is disgusted with me, Varian thinks I'm a monster, Mikah and Anduin treat me like a little kid…." Tari bit her lip to keep from crying again at the self-loathing she felt, remembering all of their words.

"Well, your father most certainly does not think you're a disappointment, he loves you. He's frustrated because you can't believe he does and as things are, he has no real way to show it other than trying to make the world you live in a safer, happier place." Jaina explained soothingly, stroking her child's hair as Tari shifted yet again to bury her face against her mother's shoulder. "As for Lady Windrunner, she has had a difficult life. The High Elves are held to a very high standard by their parents from childhood, that alone is a lot of pressure and worst of all, her life was taken from her suddenly, brutally and unfairly as she tried to defend her people. Her soul, her body and her pride were all destroyed that day; it's not easy for her to feel sympathy for others after that because I'm sure you'll agree there isn't much in the world worse than losing everything in one horrible moment. She will warm up to you, Tari, you just have to be strong, show her the good in you, I know it's there, so do your friends and so do some very important people. Vol'jin wouldn't have allowed himself to be taken captive by Garrosh to save you if he didn't see in you some greatness."

"Greatness? Me?" Tari laughed hollowly. "You're only saying that because you're my mother."

"Tari, I'm saying it because I know. Do you think when I was a little sixteen year old human noble girl studying magic, expected to either spend my life on research in a tower or marry a king and bear the heirs of a nation, that anyone thought I'd one day found a nation, lead my people away from a great threat and be part of the small fire forged resistance that brought down a great evil in a battle that seemed doomed? No one thinks they're capable of greatness, it comes from necessity. You become great when you're as a fledgling bird, thrown from the nest with your only options being flight or death. Even the sickliest whelpling will flap its wings with all its might and manage whatever semblance of flight it can rather than crash to the earth and be snuffed out." Jaina smiled reassuringly, holding Tari gently and standing up, bringing Tari into a standing position with her. "Just think of what is important to you. Protect it, keep it close to your heart, don't focus inward, thinking only of self-preservation breeds cowardice, thinking of others, especially those that need you, will give you all the strength, wisdom and courage you need to show the world what you can do."

"But mother…even if I did prove myself, even if Lady Windrunner did accept me, how can you and I possibly be a family with her? She's twisted, monstrous and her city is full of nothing but death and ugliness." Tari frowned.

"That's when you've got to look past appearances, see through faults and prejudices. I have seen her at her deepest most wonderful layer, and deep down at the point I have seen her, she is a brave, loyal and intelligent woman. In many ways, she is not unlike myself or your father or King Varian as a leader. She wants the world that will most benefit her people and she wants contentment and peace, it's just a little harder for her to find a balance of that. She's more vulnerable than she seems because of what she's been through and she just needs to remember that she is a hero to many and she can be again if she rises above what is trying desperately to drag her down. I know that she truly cares for me and she knows I care for her, that will help her find the contentment and peace she needs and with that, both our people will have peace and the world that most benefits them. Undeath needn't be a thing to be frightened of. It could be a choice, an option. Her people still have priests who can till communicate with the light, and the light would not serve an evil force, her people allied with the Argent Dawn during The Lich King's reign and besides, imagine what undeath could mean for research and study? If a good mage or scholar chose to be reborn as a forsaken after death, then his or her research could continue unimpeded, the undead are not inherently a force of evil or destruction, they're individuals as humans and orcs are." Jaina's voice was so calm, so soft and honest as she spoke to Tari. The fondness that entered her tone when she spoke of Sylvanas put Tari a bit more at ease, but still the young half orc doubted the Banshee Queen was someone she could warm up to.


	17. Call the Stakes

_A/N: Hi there, return of the author's note with an important question. Would you prefer the story go grimdark or remain fairly light? I have plans for both and will not specify what will happen either way, though I will end this chapter on a cliff hanger, which your response will decide which direction I choose. I personally feel grimdark ends up being more in character for Sylvanas, but you are my readers and I care what you think. After all, if this fic was for my own personal enjoyment, it wouldn't be online._

Tari knew something was wrong here. Her mother? Speaking approvingly of undeath? Tari knew that was proof something was amiss. Jaina had fought her whole adult life against the undead and their demonic benefactors. Tari had heard the story a hundred times from her mother's friends and admirers. How the beautiful and powerful Lady Jaina Proudmoore had chosen honor, chosen what was right over love. How she had bravely taken her people across the sea to start a new land and how she'd been the first line of defense at Mount Hyjal, her human forces fearlessly standing down a full powered army of demons and undead, knowing most likely they would fall and were only buying time for the other two camps to reinforce.

Tari didn't like thinking of Mount Hyjal, though. She knew the night of their victory what had happened. As her mother had told it, the celebration went on among the orcish and human encampments while the Night Elven camp made their peace with the loss of their immortality, reconciling it with the good of destroying Archimonde forever. However far from the revelers and the lights and noise, her father had tended her mother's wounds with his shamanic powers alone in a small tent, she'd provided cool, fresh water to restore his energy and helped dress his wounds with bandages. The two of them had spoken at length about their former lives across the sea and after that…well, Tari had been young when Jaina told her about this, so the story ended with her finding out she was pregnant with Tari a short time later. Tari didn't like to think of how that happened. She knew and it bothered her to think of her mother laying with a filthy orc.

"But you ARE a filthy orc." Mikah had jokingly said when Tari voiced her concerns to him when the two had been around twelve, after getting a talk about procreation by their tutor in Theramore.

"I am not! You're just jealous because you're a girly boy elf who can't swing a sword!" Tari had snapped, punching Mikah in the arm as hard as she could.

"Yeah, well the governess said people make babies together if they like each other usually. Your mom likes Thrall, accept it!" Mikah had replied.

"No she doesn't! He must have made her do those things!" Tari had wailed, refusing to believe it. But still, hadn't her mother kept a picture of the Horde's Warchief beside her bed next to the one of the handsome blonde haired prince she'd been engaged to once? Didn't she get letters from him? Force Tari to visit him with her on that rock formation above that hot, dry, uncomfortable kingdom he ruled? Tari supposed a woman would not have such an attachment to man who violated her. She'd had to accept that her conception had been a pleasant experience for both parties, but that thought made her ill.

But she was getting side tracked. It was important to discover what was really going on here and now. If what she suspected was the truth then she may even need her father's help. Gulping and screwing up all her courage, Tari drew closer and closer to the tent her mother was sharing with The Banshee Queen. She honestly wasn't sure which tent it was or where. In order to keep better hidden from Garrosh and to keep their plans secret, the small group had spread out. Thrall's tent would probably not be too far from her own, she knew now no matter what she thought of him, her father was trying to do right by her and watch over her, so she'd skipped the tent nearest the one she and Aila shared. Anduin and Mikah would be near Varian's so father and son could share battle plans. Still, 'nearest' in their formation meant a mile apart at best, so the trek was long and tiring. Suddenly, Tari felt a touch on her shoulder and quickly reached to slap the hand away and turn around to face her would be attacker. "Aila!" She gasped, seeing the pretty half-elf standing before her with a look of concern on her face.

"You weren't in bed…I got worried…" She admitted softly, toying with her braid. "I may be only a rogue, but still…two people to a party is better than being alone, right?" The girl smiled hopefully.

Tari regarded her gently, blue eyes meeting blue. Finally a smile crossed her face and she inclined her head. "Indeed it is, Aila, but we need to keep very quiet and be careful. Our quarry is clever and deceitful beyond anyone we've met before. Garrosh may be strong, but he's a buffoon. If I'm right, we're facing now one of the most dangerous people in Azeroth." Tari whispered.

"Okay, I'm a rogue, stealth is my specialty." Aila nodded with a happy smile. "I care for you, Tari Proudmoore, I'll protect you in any way I can."

Tari blushed a bit, now self-conscious the color was unbecoming on her cabbage colored skin, a shade that had often embarrassed her. Bad enough to be green, but at least her father was emerald skinned; she was the color of the stuff you throw rotted at betrayers and bad fools. "And I care for you too, Aila…?" Tari felt even more sheepish as she realized she'd never learned Aila's last name.

"My last name's a secret, love." Aila winked teasingly as she and Tari now continued their search. "We might have to spread out to cover more ground." She noted.

"Okay, then you go left, I'll go right. If you find Sylvanas' tent before I do, backtrack till you find me, I'll do the same for you. If I don't come back…" Tari said, taking off her silver crescent moon necklace. "You have this to remember me." She placed it around Aila's neck and kissed her softly. "If you hear my scream or anything like that, run, get my father, show him the necklace and tell him what we were doing."

"Okay, gotcha Tari, I'll do it." Aila smiled, nuzzling Tari's neck gently before she turned to go off on her own search.

Tari smiled gently in the direction Aila had gone off in and then turned to go her own way. As she walked, she thought perhaps once this business was concluded she and Aila might go somewhere together. They could be wandering vigilantes like she'd played at as a child, killing bad people, protecting good people, studying ancient mysteries. Perhaps she'd go to Karazhan and fetch some of Medivh's library as a gift for her mother. Who knew? It seemed with Aila, with the slow road to acceptance of Thrall as her father and the fact that he and her mother couldn't be together as a family, things might be okay….if she was wrong about Sylvanas.

Once or twice she considered it might be better not to know. Her mother was happy and in love again, Garrosh Hellscream was going to answer for his crimes and she was slowly realizing her father did love her, perhaps she should let well enough alone? But then…no. Her mother could be in danger. Lady Windrunner was clever and good at subterfuge and deception, Tari needed to know for sure. Her train of thought was cut short though as another touch to her shoulder started her heart pounding, she slowly began to turn around, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "Aila, don't scare me like that, you-" Tari's eyes widened when she turned around. That wasn't Aila.


	18. Denied Me and Betrayed Me

"L…Lady Windrunner?" Tari gasped, stepping back nervously as Sylvanas approached her. She did not stop, though, no matter how close she got. Tari's blue eyes widened as the half-orc girl stumbled and tripped. "I….I just…I was looking for my mother!" Tari stammered, trying desperately to explain.

"You're a terrible liar, Taretha Tani Proudmoore." Sylvanas smirked, calling the girl by her full name. "Daughter of Thrall son of Durotan…." She spoke the orcish heritage mockingly as she approached the teen, eyes narrowing coldly.

"D…Don't call me that…it….it's Tari, just Tari." Tari bit her lip gently.

"Oh, right, you don't like your orcish heritage, do you, child?" The banshee queen cooed wickedly, kneeling down over the girl, grabbing her by the throat. "You wanted to be an undead, didn't you? What was it you thought? Ah, yes, being undead would make you no longer an orc…Well, you'll have to tell me how that works out for you." Sylvanas laughed coldly, getting up and dragging the struggling girl towards where the trees ended, the edge of a cliff. "Lok'tar Ogar, little frost pup." Sylvanas sneered as she held Tari up over the cliff, releasing her grip on her throat.

**The following morning**

Thrall was awakened from his slumber by the flap of his tent suddenly being opened and Jaina's soft voice calling his name. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. She was beautiful still but she looked distraught, her beautiful blue eyes red rimmed as though she'd been panicked and crying. "Thrall, thank the Light you're awake…It's Tari! She's gone missing, I went to her tent to look for her and she wasn't there, Aila was gone as well!" Jaina was bravely fighting back tears. She had always been strong, as long as Thrall had known her; she'd been strong and beautiful, her will never faltering. Even now he could tell she held hope that their daughter hadn't come to harm, holding out for the best case scenario to be true.

Thrall bit his lip, thinking for a moment. On the one hand, Vol'jin and Baine were meant to rendezvous in less than an hour at this tent with him. On the other hand, Tari was his daughter and he still cared very much for her mother. He breathed deeply and got up. "Help me with my armor, we'll find her."

"Y…You still have your old armor?" Jaina asked, walking over to him as he opened up a trunk in the corner of his tent, taking out the dented and cracked yet still intimidating Doomhammer armor.

"There are some things duty can't make me throw away." He replied as Jaina smiled gently, helping him strap his armor, looking gently into his blue eyes.

"I…understand." Jaina blushed a bit; with some effort she picked the Doomhammer up from the nearby corner with some effort and handed it to Thrall with a gentle, nervous little smile on her beautiful face.

He smiled back, his large green hands touching gently to her delicate porcelain pale hands as he took the hammer from her. "Let's go find her. I'm sure she's just off sulking." He reassured her. "She and I had words the other night and I think she's still upset, perhaps I was too harsh with her."

"I probably could have been a little more open to her when she spoke to me as well." Jaina nodded her agreement.

Above them, crouched in the highest bough away from prying eyes as she so often had in life, Sylvanas was crouched, glaring at Thrall. She had thought getting rid of that whiny, self-hating brat would sever the final remaining connection between the two. Clearly she had been wrong. Perhaps she had been too lenient with Jaina; perhaps she DID require the usual prescription for loyalty. "I tried to give you a chance, my sweet mage…I tried to let you keep your free will." She shook her head, her voice scarcely above a whisper. "And you use it to betray me…" A tiny voice in the back of the Banshee Queen's mind reminded her Jaina hadn't truly betrayed her, she'd done nothing with Thrall except go search for a daughter who the orc had, after all, fathered. But the dominant voice could think nothing but 'that betraying whore cozied up to him like they were a couple again.' And with that thought, she was off, following them unseen through the tree tops. About four miles into the woods, Thrall and Jaina went their separate ways, deciding it was easier to find the girl if they covered more ground.

Once Jaina was alone and even deeper into the woods, Sylvanas dropped down from a tree behind her. Dusk was falling. "Hello, my sweet mage." Sylvanas whispered softly.

"Oh, Sylvanas my love, I'm so glad to see you. Tari has gone missing, please help me find her?" Jaina asked softly, rushing over to Sylvanas, a look of worry in her beautiful blue eyes.

"Of course, my lady…I will gladly help you find your child." Sylvanas smirked a bit, holding Jaina close to her as the mage cried softly, frustrated and losing hope of finding Tari. Sylvanas gently stroked Jaina's golden hair, nuzzling against the top of her head, taking in the lilac and arcane magic scent of the soft, fair tresses. "It will be okay, I'm sure she's just off sulking. After all, she and I had words the other night and I think she's still upset….." Sylvanas smirked as Jaina looked up at her, wide eyed, shaking as she slid to the ground, blood dripping from a knife dug into her back. "Perhaps I was too harsh with her…" Sylvanas sneered, dropping her lover to the ground with a cold, vicious grin on her lovely dead face.

_A/N- Grimdark won, but I'll give you all a chance with each new chapter to switch your vote if you think it's getting to dark…meaning each chapter until the end will end in a cliff hanger._


	19. Past All Hope of Cries for Help

_A/N: Decided to stay grimdark since I read a lot of older reviews and people were disappointed with dark Jaina's sudden departure, sorry the updates take so long, it's just a little difficult to make sure things at least semi-fit together, as you probably guessed I'm heavily influenced by the music I listen to and sometimes try as I might it comes out more than others._

Thrall was glad to see Jaina when she caught up with him the following night; he'd been worried for her and worried for Tari the entire day. When she walked into the dark hollow he was currently searching, he'd ran to her and gently gripped her shoulders. "You disappeared…I was worried for you." He admitted softly. "I didn't hear from you or see you for a full day after we parted ways last night."

"Last night….yes." Jaina replied, inclining her head. "I…thought I heard her scream out there in the woods. I wanted so badly to find our baby…" Her voice was soft and quiet now, barely above a whisper. Always, she kept her head down, fair hair obscuring her eyes.

"Of course…and I want to find her as well. I would not want any harm to come to her." He whispered, soothingly petting her hair.

"Yes, my love…"Jaina whispered.

"L…Love?" Thrall's heart missed a beat. No…this couldn't happen. He knew what he'd done to her when he'd ended things, what was it now? A year ago? Besides, she was with Sylvanas now…but…he couldn't deny he loved her. Wanted her. His people's demand had taken priority when last this came up…but now…now thoughts were coming. She was worth it…what if he put his foot down. He'd given them their heir. He hadn't enjoyed it, but he'd given them an heir, now couldn't his desires come first? Both the Horde and the Frostwolf clan would have their leader when his son came of age. He could remain as regent until then. They needn't accept Jaina, they needn't accept Tari. He didn't care; all that mattered was how he felt for them. "Do you mean it?" He asked, blue eyes wide as he dared to hope that his fleeting, fevered thoughts would be valid in practice and more importantly that Jaina had forgiven him.

"Of course." Jaina said, a soft smile crossing her lips, she still didn't lift her head or reveal her eyes.

"Sylvanas won't take it well." Thrall replied cautiously, but pulling the mage closer to him.

"No…" Jaina agreed, looking up at Thrall now, her eyes empty with a haunted ghostly violet glow rather than blue, the pupils and whites gone, red tearstains beneath them.

Thrall's eyes widened as blood dripped from his mouth and he sank to the ground. A scimitar poking through his chest directly through the heart. "She won't…." Sylvanas smirked. "I trust there will be no more temptations now, sweet mage?" She asked.

"No, my lady…" Jaina knelt before her mistress, her protector.

"And no one else will hurt you or use you anymore either… I do this for you." Sylvanas replied, pulling her scimitar from Thrall's back and pointing it at Jaina. "He discarded you and believed you'd be so foolish as to welcome him back with open arms, but this time, he experienced the black poison sting of love, doesn't it feel better when someone else does?"

"Yes." Jaina replied, nodding her head.

"Of course as I love you, I am not without mercy. I will deliver your daughter back to your arms." Sylvanas dropped the scimitar, sliding her arms gently around Jaina's waist, pulling her close. "Now, onto bigger business. Despite what that fool Thrall thinks, we need no army to take down that fool Hellscream." She traced a finger across Jaina's lovely face. "How would you like revenge for your city and for all the cruelties he inflicted upon your people…For how he threatened your child…for the things he said to me, your lover, and how he's treated me. You promised that as I protect you, you'd protect me. Will you, sweet mage?" She asked, kissing Jaina sweetly on the mouth.

Jaina's eyes glowed brighter and a smirk played on her soft lips. "Yes…Yes, my queen." She slid her tongue out to run it over Sylvanas' lips, prompting the banshee queen to slide hers out to play.

"Good girl." Sylvanas grabbed Jaina by her throat, possessively before releasing her and turning to leave. "I will go retrieve the girl for you; you can clean up this mess…"She nodded towards Thrall. "And then make your way to Orgrimmar to clean up the one there."

Once Sylvanas was gone, Jaina lowered her head. "Thrall…I am so sorry…" She whispered, respectfully closing her former friend and lover's eyes. Sylvanas would be gone for enough time that Jaina could offer Thrall a proper burial. She summoned two massive water elementals to dampen the earth and help her to dig. Jaina felt immense guilt about what had happened, she was Sylvanas' lover and would follow her loyally, but she was not so far gone as to ignore that Thrall had been completely innocent in all this, a mere pawn to his people and his duties. And she had loved him. She had loved him very deeply, but maybe it was better he was gone. He would never approve of the things Sylvanas had planned. Jaina wouldn't even have approved of them had her mind been entirely her own, but Sylvanas' influence ran deep, only enhanced by the love Jaina still felt for her.

Much like when Arthas had turned down his dark path, Jaina had loved him still, but with Sylvanas, Jaina had to follow. She couldn't turn away, there would be no 'I can't watch you do this', there would be no rescuing the survivors, no being their champion and guiding them to safety, there would BE no safety. Sylvanas was smarter than Arthas and stronger still. She would not be defeated, nor could Jaina stomach the idea of hurting her even if she thought defeat was possible. Her feelings and loving words towards the Banshee Queen had never been false. Oh she'd still had feelings for Thrall, but she'd never had any plan to act on those feelings, no matter what Sylvanas thought, Jaina's heart had been hers. But that thought made this worse. Thrall didn't have to die…Jaina may not have delivered the killing blow, but she had allowed Sylvanas to. She had lowered Thrall's guard, kept him vulnerable.

As she covered up the corpse with the cool damp earth, tears trickling down her face, Jaina knew she'd never forgive herself. Perhaps it would be best to surrender herself to Sylvanas' control, to the madness. Just accept the sweet dark bliss of insanity. Her heart hammered as she placed the Doomhammer over Thrall's grave and pulled up some wild flowers to lay over it. Climbing to her feet, she gave herself back to Sylvanas' control entirely, stopped trying to fight it. Her eyes flashed with violet ghost light and a smirk crossed her face. Off to Orgrimmar. It was time to clean up that mess.


	20. Track Down This Murderer

_A/N: Surprisingly there was a lot of concern that Tari actually died. I was unaware she had people who liked her so much, well, I still can't stand the bratty personality so I had to find a way to change that and still let her live, she'd been starting to do a bit of growing up anyway just before the incident so I figured she can have some development, thus the amount of time it took me to figure out this chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it._

"Hello, Tari. Strange place ta be takin' a nap, why ya be here, girl?" Vol'jin's voice broke Tari's unconsciousness. In the black expanse of eternity, Tari suddenly stopped falling and stood beside Vol'jin, who was sitting cross legged, head bowed in meditation, radiant violet light emanating from him. He, and herself, Tari noticed, were both little more than outlines in white blue on the black expanse before them.

"Where are we?" Tari asked, crouching down beside him and looking around.

"We in da in between, 'tween life an' death, child." Vol'jin explained. "I be he'ah tryin' ta bring ya back. Ya not dead, girlie, it ain'tcha time."

"But how do I get back?" Tari asked, frowning. "I mean, there's nothing here…no doors, no windows, no stairs, just nothing!"

"Ya got ta wake up, child, open ya eyes." The troll stood up, gripping Tari's shoulders and pulling her to her feet. A jolt of energy course through her and her eyes flew open. But still, she saw nothing. Even Vol'jin was gone now.

"Am I dead? Did it fail?" She thought aloud.

"No, ya alive, ya eyes be empty, tho', I t'ink de fall take ya sight." Vol'jin frowned, his voice more factual than sympathetic. "But de main t'ing is ya be alive, ya legs, ya arms, ya body, it all work, ya still able ta live an' ya may as well do it."

"I…." Tari bit her lip, then she realized, she'd never see another sneer in her direction, another hateful glare, never see her own cabbage green skin or her somewhat squashed round nose, never see the ugly tusks that made her full lips protrude or the stubby claw tipped fingers. She beamed in that moment. "No…I think I'm okay with this…"

"I help ya 'long de way, Tari, ya don' gotta worry." Vol'jin said softly. He had felt Thrall's life-force leave this world a short time ago, and now he would aid his old friend's daughter as he'd aided him when he lived.

"Well, then…Let's get to it, we have to find Aila. She could be in trouble, she was with me." Tari insisted, struggling to stand. Vol'jin reached down and helped the girl to her feet, taking her hand and guiding it into something soft and furry, warm and alive. Whatever it was panted and licked her hand.

"Dis be Medivh. Ya father intended him as a gif' for ya, a welcome inta de Fros'wolf clan when ya decide ta accept him at last as ya father. Now he be ya eyes as I be ya guardian. Le's go find ya friend." Vol'jin offered, placing a leather strap in Tari's calloused hands and lifting her onto the white dire worg's back. "Ya know, his motha be ya faddah's old wolf Snowsong. His fatha be Drek'thar's wolf Wise Ear. Dis be a great wolf, Tari, don'tcha be forgettin'." The old troll smiled a bit as he told the girl, walking beside her mount as Medivh padded his way back towards the encampment….and those awful woods.

"Medivh….a gift from my father…" Tari breathed as she absently stroked the wolf's fur. Perhaps….her father was not a bad man, perhaps she ought to make amends next time she saw him. "Please, take me to my father, I want to thank him properly." Tari asked of the old troll.

With a heavy sigh, Vol'jin shook his head. "Ah can't. Ya faddah be gone, Tari Proudmoore…An' ya moddah be missin' now too…"

"Then…in honor of both of them and the love they wished they could share, it's no longer Tari Proudmoore and no longer Taretha daughter of Thrall, I am Tari Proudwolf. That name is my new legacy, a joining of House Proudmoore and Clan Frostwolf. I will bring together people of both the Horde and the Alliance as my parents dreamed and we will not bow to any petty faction politics. Lok'tar Ogar. Victory or Death." The girl decided, her voice taking on a more authorative tone than it ever had before, more power and confidence too. "I realize now what a blind, selfish fool I've been…it only took being physically blind for me to see clearly inside."

"Den ah help ya. Dere be orphans on both sides, most a' dem don' wan' no revenge, dey wanna be safe. Dey wanna have a family. Ya give 'em dat, ya rally neutral factions an' friens 'a ya parents to ya side, Ya t'ink 'a ya people an not yaself, jus' like ya parents, an dey love ya an dey follow ya loyally, child, I be ya advisa." Vol'jin nodded.

"Thank you, Chieftain, now come, my love is still out there and I'm almost certain my mother is as well." Tari commanded as she spurred her new wolf on. They rode for what felt like hours and Tari slowly but surely felt more attuned to the sounds of the forest and the physical sensation of a cool breeze blowing through the trees. The smells, as well. Deep within the forest, she stopped. The birds and even the trees were silent, the air smelled of rot and decay and suddenly it was freezing. "Vol'jin, please help me dismount." Tari reached blindly for the old chieftain, who took the girl's large rough hands and maneuvered her arms around his neck and his around her waist, helping her down from the mighty beast. Tari stumbled when he set her down, her hand grasping what felt like a wooden staff. She patted her way up the staff and realized by the shape she felt, it was her mother's. Beside it, she felt a heavy war hammer, likely her father's. "Vol'jin…What is this? It's…it's a grave?" She asked, a look of panic crossing her face. No. Her mother couldn't be dead as well, could she?

Vol'jin stepped forward, touching a hand to the staff. Grief, but not death. "Ya moddah musta left dis staff 'ere wit' ya faddah's hammah when 'e die. I don' feel no death on dis, ya moddah is still alive or she was when she left de staff 'ere." He explained. Looking over across the clearing, he tensed. "It be time we get outta 'ere, child." His voice fell to a whisper. That rot Tari had smelled was not Thrall's body, it was much worse. Ghouls. "Dere be undead 'ere."

Tari snarled in rage, she knew even blind the ugly look of hate and pain that was crossing her face right now. "Vol'jin, take my mother's staff and tie it to my things, I will set it in my home when I return, but this hammer I have use for." She'd lost her halberd in the fall and it somehow felt right wielding her father's hammer, it had an easy, warm feeling in her rough calloused hands and she focused her mind entirely on the scent, charging towards the foul smell. When the ghouls saw her coming, they charged right back at her, but their quickness to fight was their undoing. Tari felt the change in the air from their movements and she swung her father's weapon expertly, crushing skulls left and right until all four of the ghouls lay dead on the ground. She heard a weak whimper coming from where they'd been and rushed over.

"Tari?" A soft voice called out, one Tari scarcely recognized without the relentlessly perky and upbeat inflection to it, but recognized nonetheless.

"Aila!" Tari knelt beside the half elf, taking her into her arms. She smelled of blood and death and the wetness at her midriff only confirmed Tari's fears as she felt a sick, cold pain rising within her, sightless eyes welling with tears.


End file.
